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| Rogue probation office needs oversight |
| By boston.com |
| Published: 01/27/2010 |
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THE PATRICK administration is getting wise to the mysterious ways of the state’s probation department. And the more light that falls on this backstairs agency, the more obvious the need for changes in both its leadership and organizational structure. The Office of the Commissioner of Probation is currently under the supervision of the state’s court system, but only in the loosest sense. In 2001, the Legislature stripped judges of the authority to hire, promote, and discipline probation officers, leaving such decisions in the hands of Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien and his staff. No matter how badly he mismanages the department, O’Brien is free to thumb his nose at the Trial Court because he serves an unlimited term, courtesy of the Legislature. And to top it all off, probation officers aren’t even required to take Civil Service examinations, unlike other public safety personnel, including parole and corrections officers. One couldn’t design a better set-up for political patronage: A probation commissioner who is both unaccountable to the internal controls of the court system and immune, as a member of that court system, from many public-records requests. Where better for a lawmaker to drum up a job for a relative or supporter? The official job requirements for probation officer include a bachelor’s degree and one year of experience in human services. An honest list would include copious amounts of political juice. Credit the governor for his proposal to put adult probation services under his direct oversight. Similar agencies covering the parole and corrections functions are already under the control of his Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Administration officials estimate they could save $15 million to $40 million by placing all operations, from pre-trial to post-release, under one administrative roof. The move also makes sense as criminal justice policy. The lines between probation and parole have blurred in recent years. Probation is no longer just a stay-out-of-jail card for low-level offenders. Violent offenders who leave prison are now placed under the supervision of both the probation and parole departments. One branch of government should be accountable for the entire operation, as is the case in most states. Something has to change. Last month, a probation clerk in Lawrence was charged with embezzling $2 million from a Lawrence probation office. And a recent Boston Foundation study found that spending in the Probation Department had jumped an obscene 163 percent, adjusted for inflation, from 1998 to 2008. Commissioner O’Brien’s office insists - unpersuasively - that the increase is merely the result of “convoluted’’ accounting. Meanwhile, he doesn’t even deign to tell the Justice Department how many people commit additional crimes while on probation. He ducks questions about his touted community corrections program. And he refuses even to supply a copy of his resume upon written request. Read More. |
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