|
The Division of Probation and Parole is comprised of the Interstate Office,
the Director's Office and three Regional Probation/Parole Offices (Northern,
Southcentral, and Southeast). The Director's Office provides support to those
offices in the areas of supervision, accounting, training, policy development,
budget, and performance audits. In addition, the Director's Office provides
quality control throughout the state for sex offender supervision, coordinates
with DHHS for child safety issues, improves consistency in sex offender case
management, coordinates victim services, and researches and develops alternatives
to incarceration. The Director's Office has overall responsibility for budget,
policy development and the administration for probation/parole services, interstate
compact agreements.
Supervision
The probation/parole officers within the Division of Probation and Parole routinely
conduct pre-sentence investigations and write pre-sentence reports in felony cases
statewide for the Superior Court. These officers also enforce conditions of
supervision established by the Alaska Board of Parole and the Court, such as treatment
issues, substance abuse, mental health, and ensuring offenders pay restitution/fines.
The Division of Probation and Parole faces a major challenge in handling the increasing
numbers of probationer/parolees across the state. Probation and Parole also continues to
play a key role in population management to relieve institutional overcrowding problems
by exploring applications for technology, such as electronic monitoring and by targeting
higher-risk offenders for intervention prior to revocation, such as EPP (Enhanced
Probation) and ISSP (Intensive Supervision Surveillance Program).
Northern Region
This region covers the northern part of the state, supervising adult felons through five
district offices in Fairbanks, Barrow, Bethel, Kotzebue, and Nome, with a total staff
compliment of 35. The region's 22 probation officers, assisted by Criminal Justice
Technicians in Nome, Barrow, Kotzebue, Bethel and in Fairbanks, supervise offenders and
prepare presentence investigation reports for the superior Courts in each District. The
Northern Region is geographically the largest and most remote region in the state,
requiring officers to regularly travel from their home communities to isolated small
towns and villages.These approximately 145 communities are often many miles from
connecting road systems, requiring travel by small aircraft, snow machine and boats. The
Northern Region is comparable in size to the combined square mileage of Washington, Oregon,
Idaho, Nevada, and Montana. The region is comprised of the Second and Fourth Judicial
Districts.
Southcentral Region
This region has offices in Anchorage, Dillingham, Kenai, Kodiak, and Palmer with a staff
compliment of 72 positions. Supervising adult felons on probation or parole from Anchorage
to Cordova to the east, to Dillingham to the west, and down the Aleutian chain. The area
encompasses the Third Judicial District.
Southeast Region
This region covers the southeastern part of the state, supervising adult felons through district
offices in Juneau, Sitka, and Ketchikan, with a staff compliment of 14 positions. Limited road
networks make supervision a geographical challenge; the access to the towns and villages in this
area requires travel by small plane, boats and ferries. The area comprises the First Judicial
District.
|
