The Role of Probation in Community Courts

Community supervision officers are often part of the collaborative problem-solving court team and play diverse roles throughout each model.. The community court model is a neighborhood-focused court that applies a problem-solving approach to local crime and safety concerns by addressing underlying issues—like substance use disorder and chronic unemployment. Key to the model is collaboration between the legal parties, alternatives to jail and fines, judicial monitoring to promote compliance, and on-going community engagement. Similar to the goals of community supervision, community courts connect individuals to resources in the community to promote rehabilitation and engagement, while providing supervision and accountability. Probation officers have played different roles within the community court model, administering risk and needs assessments, providing feedback in staffing meetings on participant progress, and supporting connections to treatment, education, and employment resources. This session will explore synergies between community courts and community supervision and opportunities for probation departments to contribute to community engagement efforts through local community courts.