Welcome to eFocus, an electronic newsletter produced by
the NYS Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives.
As part of DPCA's goal to promote public safety through
probation services and other community corrections programs,
it publishes this newsletter. We welcome your suggestions.
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eFocus, Issue Number 13, July 29, 2003
NYS Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives
Sara Tullar Fasoldt, State Director
Robert Maccarone, Executive Deputy Director
http://dpca.state.ny.us
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Editor's Note: The eFocus is now distributed to well
over 3000 community corrections professionals across New
York State. You may receive more than one copy if your name
and email address appears on different criminal justice
and community corrections email lists. I apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause. With time, duplicate names
and address will be corrected. Thank you for your patience.
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1. New standards, laws, legislation and reporting requirements
to be discussed at DPCA Forums
Pretrial services programs and community service sentencing
programs will meet with DPCA on Tuesday, August 5th. DPCA
will promulgate Pretrial Services Standards soon and this
meeting provides an opportunity to probation departments
and programs to comment. New DWI laws will be discussed
including the requirement that certain repeat DWI offenders
receive community service. Of course, quarterly reporting,
meeting objectives and strategies to increase utilization
will also be discussed.
Defender-Based Advocacy, TASC and Specialized ATI programs will meet with DPCA on Monday, August 11th. The Specialized and Drug and Alcohol treatment alternatives representatives should be especially interested in the proposed legislative changes to the Rockefeller Drug Laws and a Governor's Initiative entitled the 'Road to Recovery.'
Both meetings will be held at DPCA, 80 Wolf Road, in the 4th Floor Training Room 401 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Please contact Jackie Borne at (518) 485-2393 or jborne@dpca.state.ny.us to confirm your attendance.
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2. Suffolk County pilots "Voice DISC"
The Voice Disc (V-DISC) is a comprehensive, structured interview
that uses DSM-IV criteria to screen for more than twenty
mental health disorders found in children and adolescents.
In this self-administered test, youth at Probation hear
questions through headphones while reading them on the screen,
independently, regardless of their reading skill level.
They respond through the computer keyboard. Researchers
say the high degree of accuracy in diagnosis is aided by
the comfort level encouraged through direct computer input
of responses without human interaction. The DISC has been
certified by the National Institute of Mental Health. Suffolk
County Probation Department is administering the V-DISC
to JD cases that require a full YASI (Youth Assessment Screening
Instrument) who score high in the mental health category.
DPCA plans to link V-DISC with YASI counties that are interested
in the instrument. The Columbia University Center for the
Promotion of Mental Health is providing the V-DISC tool
and the training to counties at no cost. YASI counties are
welcome to contact Norma Tyler, DPCA Community Corrections
Representative III at (518) 485-5160 or tyler@dpca.state.ny.us
or Suffolk County Probation Director Vincent Iaria at (631)
852-5100 or Vincent.iaria@co.suffolk.ny.us for more information.
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3. Pathways to Employment: DPCA and Labor Department
stress employment for probationers
DPCA and the NYS Dept. of Labor (DOL) are working together
to assist unemployed probationers to acquire gainful employment.
The criminal justice literature demonstrates that gainful
employment is part of the pro-social bonding needed to stabilize
criminal offenders. The DOL has dedicated Ms. Elaine Kost,
Supervising Labor Services Representative, to this full-time
initiative. Ms. Kost will be working directly with probation
departments in conducting job readiness training at locations
throughout the state. To date, this curriculum has been
field tested in Newburgh and Schenectady and probation officers
from nine counties have been trained. The training includes
information on how employers can access no-cost fidelity
bonds in $5,000 and $10,000 amounts through the Federal
Bonding Program, employment wage tax credits and benefit
through Empire Zones. Please contact DPCA Community Corrections
Representative II Cynthia Blair at cblair@dpca.state.ny.us
or (518) 457-0501 for additional information.
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4. Seventeen more counties train for COMPAS
Fifty probation professionals (representing 17 departments)
attended training in the use of COMPAS at DPCA on July 28
and 29. A Master Trainers' session will be held on July
30th. The new COMPAS users include Broome, Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua, Dutchess, Franklin, Lewis, Niagara, Onondaga,
Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Steuben,
Tioga, Tompkins, and Wyoming. For more information contact
Jami Krueger, DPCA Community Corrections Representative
II at (518) 485-5158 or jkrueger@dpca.state.ny.us
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5. "Re-Thinking Community Corrections" - 2nd
Statewide forum to be held
The second forum will be held on July 31st, during the Annual
Probation Officer's Association (POA) Conference in Troy,
New York. Governor Pataki's Criminal Justice Director, Chauncey
Parker, asked State Probation Director Sara Tullar Fasoldt
to convene a Probation Task Force to re-examine the State's
community corrections system. This request came from a May
2003 meeting with State Director Parker, Director Fasoldt,
and representatives from DPCA, COPA and NYSPOA. Director
Fasoldt has asked members of the State's Probation Commission
to host a series of professional forums to explore these
important issues.
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6. DPCA and DMV hold Traffic Safety Forum
Representatives from DPCA, DMV, DCJS and the State's Institute
for Traffic Safety Management Research (ITSMR) met on July
9th to discuss probationer roles in New York State's highway
safety problem. Representatives from COPA and POA joined
the strategy session designed to address the impact of the
new DWI law, which lowered the legal BAC level (to .08),
as well as issues concerning the mandated use of the ignition
interlock device and increased use of community service
for repeat DWI offenders. For more information contact Steve
Powers, DPCA Community Corrections Rep. III at (518) 485-2402
or powers@dpca.state.ny.us
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7. Victim restitution payments
Did you know that probation departments collected over $9
million during 2002?
More than $8 million for Criminal Court and more than $225,000
for Family Court.
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8. Probation Officers to gather in Troy for 2003 Annual
Conference
The Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York will
once again serve as the site of the NYS Probation Officers
Association (POA) annual conference. This year's conference
will be held from July 30 through August 1st. Workshops
on mental illness, substance abuse disorders, violence,
drug trafficking, the recidivist DWI offender, incident
defense issues, domestic violence and advanced defensive
tactics are among the many workshop topics that will be
offered. For more information contact the NYS POA web site
or call POA President Sheryl Zuna at 845-838-4848.
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9. Stalking In the Community: Working Together
The New York Anti-Stalking Task Force will host a 2-day
conference on September 10-11, 2003 in Glens Falls, New
York. The Task Force recommends that victim advocates and
representatives from law enforcement, the judiciary, probation,
prosecutors and parole attend. For registration information
contact the New York Anti-Stalking Task Force at (518) 270-5448
Ext. 460.
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10. Welcomes, Rewards and Remembrances
Governor George E. Pataki issued a proclamation declaring
July 20-26, 2003 Probation and Parole Officers' Week, recognizing
that parole and probation officers "through their dedicated
professionalism and their tireless devotion to duty and
honor, provide a critical and vital service to the citizens
of our nation" . DPCA issued a press release to commemorate
this event. State Director of Probation and Correctional
Alternatives, Sara Tullar Fasoldt enthusiastically endorsed
this proclamation and remarked that "The professionals
who swell the ranks of probation and community corrections
across New York State uphold the highest standards for public
safety and offender accountability with concern and regard
for victims, compassion and expectation for offenders, and
dignity and admiration for their many partners in the criminal
justice and juvenile justice fields." A copy of the
press release and/or proclamation is available by contacting
Yvonne Behan, Criminal Justice Program Representative at
ybehan@dpca.state.ny.us
11. Please attend a "Celebration of Possibility"
to mark the retirement of Pam Derrick, DPCA Community Corrections
Representative III. A party in Pam's honor will be held
at Krause's Restaurant and Grove in Clifton Park, NY on
Sunday August 10, 2003 from Noon to ??? Pam has served NYS
as a community corrections liaison and technical advisor
to all DPCA funded ATI programs, not to mention the countless
projects and initiatives she has carried out to completion
and success during her 27 years with DPCA. Pam is retiring
after a total of 32 years dedicated to public service and
promises to send us postcards from each and every coastal
region she visits. Pam's knowledge and compassion for community
corrections will be greatly missed. Please contact Barbara
Flanigan at (518) 485-7692 or flanigan@dpca.state.ny.us
for more information.
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eFocus is the property of the NYS Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. Articles may be reprinted
with attribution to the Division. For more information on
any of the topics mentioned above, to report any difficulties
you may have experienced receiving this email, or, if you
have information you would like posted in the next issue
of DPCA's eFocus, please contact Yvonne Behan at (518) 457-5275
or at ybehan@dpca.state.ny.us.
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Yvonne J. Behan
Criminal Justice Program Representative
NYS Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives
80 Wolf Road
(518) 457-5275
ybehan@dpca.state.ny.us