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The week of July 13-19, will be observed nationally as Probation, Parole, and Community Supervision Officers’ Week. Since the time of John Augustus, who started probation in 1841, officers have been supervising offenders to make our communities a safer place to live. Over two thirds of the nation’s offenders are supervised by these officers. Of the 50 states, Minnesota is the fifth highest user of probation. Minnesota courts use probation supervision at a rate over 70 percent higher than the national average on a per capita basis.

On a local level, Chisago County Court Services, which provides probation services to all Chisago County resident juvenile offenders, and to all misdemeanor and selected gross misdemeanor adult offenders, supervises approximately 1,000 offenders on any given day. Special attention is given to adult Domestic Assault offenders and to DWI and repeat DWI offenders.

In the juvenile area, offenders are supervised at a level based on the outcome of a risk/needs assessment. Information from the assessment is used in the development of a probation supervision plan, which the offender is expected to complete. Failure to follow the plan results in the filing of a probation violation and a return to court.

In addition to supervising offenders, Chisago County Court Services department provides the local court with a number of other services including pretrial supervision, pre-assessment screens for underage consumption cases, electronic home alcohol monitoring, Chemical Use Assessments for DWI cases, Domestic Violence Investigations for domestic assault cases, and Pre-sentence Investigations and Pre-Dispositional reports to aid the court in making proper sentencing decisions. Probation officers also work closely with other county departments and with local schools and social service agencies in an effort to improve the efficiency of the Criminal Justice System and to coordinate services for the offender. Chisago County Court Services strives to maintain a balance of victim restoration, offender competency improvement, and public safety when working with our assigned cases.

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