As Indiana’s criminal justice system has evolved in its approach to rehabilitating offenders the role of probation officers has also evolved.
“It’s a lot different from it was 20 years ago. Trail ‘em, nail ‘em and jail ‘em. That’s how we used to describe the old way of doing things,” said Troy Hatfield, deputy chief probation officer in Monroe County.
Hatfield also chairs the Indiana Probation Officers Advisory Board which spent the last two years revising the standards for probation in the state.
Indiana’s revised criminal code received much attention when it began July 1 but revised Indiana Probation Standards also became effective — the first time in more than 10 years those standards were updated.
The probation officer is the catalyst that can help an offender change their behavior,” Hatfield said.
“We’re the ones that can really help these folks change and make communities safe and reduce recidivism (repeat offenders),” Hatfield said.
The changes emphasize what are commonly referred to as evidence-based practices — methods proven to work, said Vanderburgh Circuit Court Judge David Kiely, who supervises adult probation services in the county.
Kiely said the updated standards will not affect Vanderburgh County much.
“We’ve been doing most everything required already. I think we are ahead of the curve,” he said.
While the threat of incarceration remains the ultimate tool for probation officers, a large part of their jobs now involves using those practices to help offenders change for the better.
“The criminal justice system’s focus has always included rehabilitation. What has evolved is the process of how we go about rehabilitating offenders. We continue to learn new methods and approaches through research that are effective at changing offender behavior,” Hatfield said. “One of the goals in revising the probation standards was to incorporate these methods into everyday practice.”
For instance, case supervision plans now are more specifically defined and tied to risk assessment tools, Hatfield said.
The revisions incorporate the state’s risk assessment standard that was implemented in 2010.
“They want all the probation departments in the state of Indiana to be consistent in using the standards,” Kiely said.
It requires probation officers develop case plans based on the results of risk assessments, and that target the potential crime-producing factors correlated with that risk.
That means interacting with probationers in ways that encourage positive attitudes and beliefs and teaching problem-solving skills, Hatfield said.
“The whole goal is rehabilitation to prevent future crime and help them to be more productive in society,” Kiely said.