Pretrial Probation Officer

ABOUT FRANKLIN COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT

The Franklin County Municipal Court is the largest and busiest municipal Court in the State of Ohio. The Court has fourteen judges in the General Division and one judge in the Environmental Division. Judges preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases and conduct both jury and court trials. The Court's jurisdiction includes traffic cases, misdemeanor criminal cases, and civil cases where the amount at issue is $15,000 or less. The Environmental Division has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce local codes and regulations affecting real property, such as fire and building codes. The geographic jurisdiction of the Court is all of Franklin County and those portions of the City of Columbus that extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County. Despite its jurisdiction and name, the Franklin County Municipal Court is the judicial branch of the City of Columbus government.

JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW

The Franklin County Municipal Court is one of the largest and busiest municipal courts in Ohio. The Court has 14 judges in its General Division and one judge in its Environmental Division. Judges preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases and conduct both jury and non-jury trials. The Pretrial and Probation Services Department consists of approximately 120 employees. The mission of Pretrial Services is to promote community safety and pretrial success through research-informed recommendations and supervision services that maximize court appearance, remove barriers to fair and efficient justice, and promote harm reduction. The mission of Probation Services is to promote community safety by reducing recidivism, changing offender behavior, and fostering accountability through the effective use of evidence-based practices. Department functions include pretrial, investigation, and supervision services. Supervision structures are determined by risk and need and include all types of cases referred by the Court's judges. The staff operates specialized caseloads, including domestic violence, sexual offenses, soliciting, mental health, work release, and electronic monitoring. The probation staff strives to stay current and relevant with the ongoing goal of being an evidence-based organization.

A Pretrial Probation Officer is under the general direction of a Chief Probation Officer and the immediate direction of a Probation Officer Supervisor. A Pretrial Probation Officer's primary responsibilities are to investigate the defendant's criminal history, make bond recommendations, determine the defendant's level for reporting requirements, monitor the defendant's progress while on bond, update the Court by completing supervision compliance reports, and attend Arraignments to provide a case summary to the Court to promote public safety and reduce recidivism. The Pretrial Department operates 24/7 and has offices within a correctional setting and at the Courthouse. Pretrial Probation Officers routinely communicate a defendant's compliance with supervision to the assigned judge and work closely with criminal justice partners and community resources.

This role is 2nd shift from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. (Wednesday-Saturday) or as assigned.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION

• Promote, model, and abide by the Vision, Mission, policies, and procedures of the Probation and Pretrial Department.
• Supervise specialized caseloads consisting of environmental compliance issues; defendants charged with domestic violence or related charges; substance-using defendants; defendants with mental-health or developmental disability considerations; defendants convicted of sex offenses; or defendants ordered to a period of electronic monitoring or work release during the pretrial phase of supervision.
• Administration of the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS and/or PAT), Public Safety Assessment (PSA), and other identified assessment tools to ensure appropriate supervision placement, intervention, future Court appearances, and risk level to re-offend.
• Supervise and support defendants through the pretrial process and monitor compliance with court-ordered pretrial terms and conditions of supervision for defendants with varying risk levels and needs.
• Supervise and support defendants through the pretrial process and monitor compliance with court-ordered conditions of pretrial supervision, utilizing motivational interviewing skills.
• Assist with opening new cases in the OCSS case management system and assign cases as needed for ongoing supervision.
• Complete programming referrals that are court-ordered
• Develop and utilize interviewing skills that prompt open dialogue.
• Maintain effective lines of communication with supervisors, staff, and stakeholders.
• Contribute to a strong, supportive, and productive team environment.
• Maintain confidentiality of the Court and Probation Department information
• Conduct criminal history checks on defendants.
• Conduct interviews at the jail for purposes of bond investigations and recommendations.
• Provide case management for defendants on pretrial supervision.
• Attend Arraignment Court to provide a criminal history summary and bond recommendations.
• Continuously monitor defendants who remain incarcerated on a report bond.
• Maintain a caseload of defendants on pretrial supervision.
• Provide positive reinforcement and build rapport with defendants.
• Utilize the Court's case management system to enter data and case details.
• Monitor and assess the defendant's compliance with Court-ordered conditions, which may include contact with the defendant, attorneys, law enforcement, employers, treatment providers, the Court, family members, and community agencies.
• Complete thorough, well-written reports that detail an individual's progress on pretrial supervision and include thoughtful and informed recommendations.
• Maintain a professional demeanor during stressful situations.
• Participate in activities that enhance the department and Court, the individual units within the department, and the officer's professional development.
• Attend training and professional development events on evidence-based practices in community corrections and behavioral health, per department standards and as deemed appropriate.
• Perform other tasks as assigned and may fulfill roles of other positions in other departments of the Court as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with core coursework in areas related to criminal justice, criminology, corrections, psychology, social work, or a related field, or an associate degree in a related field with two (2) years of experience directly supervising a caseload of defendants on supervision.
• The ability to demonstrate and apply basic knowledge of mental health, trauma, and substance abuse issues.
• Become trained and certified to perform the ORAS and other department risk and need-assessment tools.
• Successful completion of the state probation officer certification and training process within one (1) year of hire if not currently certified
• Meet required eligibility and pass tests required to become certified to use Law Enforcement Automated Data Systems, National Crime Information Center, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Interstate Identification Information Systems computer information systems.
• Willingness and ability to be trained and maintain certification in the department's field-safety training program, including but not limited to defensive tactics, verbal de-escalation techniques, and first aid/CPR, to engage with defendants in the community.
• Willingness to work inside a correctional facility or alternative location other than the Courthouse.
• Knowledge of evidence-based practices in the field of community correction
• Ability to appropriately respond to both pro-social and non-compliant behavior in a way that promotes public safety, accountability, and behavior change.
• Effective oral and written communication and interviewing skills (e.g., ability to listen effectively, obtain sensitive information, explain complex issues in a comprehensible manner, prepare accurate and logical reports relevant to a defendant)
• Ability to make informed and thoughtful recommendations and decisions.
• Ability to analyze situations quickly and objectively, and determine the proper course of action to be taken.
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system and current research trends in community corrections is necessary to work effectively within the Court and community corrections fields.
• Ability to appropriately receive and follow supervisory feedback, coaching, and direction.
• Ability to determine appropriate situations for the use of force.
• Ability to physically handle resistive/assaultive individuals.
• Demonstrate resilience and flexibility in a high-paced, dynamic work environment.
• Ability to maintain sensitive and confidential information.
• Proficiency in operating a personal computer and using, or being able to learn, Microsoft Office products such as Word, Outlook, and Excel, and the Court's case-management software.
• Ability to exercise good judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in difficult situations.
• Pleasant personality, ability to deal with potentially difficult people, ability to interact and maintain effective working relationships with judges, employees, attorneys, litigants, law-enforcement officers, and others conducting business with the Court.
• Conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court's jurisdiction and ability to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds regularly.
• Excellent time-management skills, ability to prioritize work, ability to work independently, and ability to work under time constraints.
• Ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Professional appearance and demeanor, particularly a positive attitude appropriate for the position and the work environment, as a representative of the Court
• Demonstrated dependability, punctuality, and an excellent attendance record.
• Ability to work collaboratively with criminal justice partners.
• Willingness to become familiar with the Court's community resources.
• Maintain a valid Ohio driver's license.
• Monitor and/or collect urine specimens from defendants.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• One (1) year of experience relating to probation, pretrial, parole, or community supervision of defendants.
• One (1) year of experience with interviewing and conducting assessments of defendants.
• Current certification of the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) instrument.
• Successful completion of the state's probation officer certification standard.
• Additional consideration will be given to individuals who are fluently bilingual in Spanish and English with a college-level vocabulary in both languages, the ability to communicate complex information in both English and Spanish, and who speak a language commonly used by people of Somalia for whom English is a second language or who are proficient in American Sign Language.

BENEFITS

The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes medical, prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance; short-term disability; generous vacation, sick, and personal leave; 11 paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick-leave reciprocity; employee assistance and deferred-compensation programs; tuition reimbursement; and credit-union membership.

Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees. The Court pays the required employer's share of 14 percent of the employee's salary. Court employees do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks because they are members of OPERS.

COURT EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEE

The Court expects employees to adhere to all court policies, guidelines, practices, and procedures; act as role models both inside and outside the Court; perform duties as workload necessitates in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner; be conscientious about meeting department productivity standards; and communicate regularly with supervisors about department issues.

AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT

Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; they are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.