Intake Probation Officer

Please ensure that your application is submitted in response to the job posting no later than May 13, 2024!

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 Pretrial and Probation Services Department consists of approximately 100 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. The Department consists of pretrial, investigations, and supervision services divisions. The supervision structures are determined by risk and need including all types of cases that are referred by the judges of the Court. The Probation Staff operate 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.

An Intake Probation Officer is under the general direction of the Chief Probation Officer and the immediate direction of the Intake and Investigations Supervisor. An Intake Probation Officer’s primary responsibilities are to conduct supervision instructions for community control, investigate, interview, and assess the defendant's risk levels using various screening tools, make appropriate referrals, manage the defendant’s compliance with court orders and required programming; to promote public safety and reduce recidivism using evidence-based practices. Intake Probation Officers routinely communicate a defendant’s supervision compliance with the assigned judge and work closely with criminal justice partners and community resources.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POSITION

• Promote, model, and abide by the Vision, Mission, policies, and procedures of the Probation Department
• Supervise specialized caseloads consisting of environmental compliance issues; defendants convicted of 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 intake and assessment phase of supervision
• Administer the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) tool and other identified assessment tools to ensure appropriate supervision placement, intervention, and programming
• Complete programming referrals that are either Court ordered or deemed appropriate through the assessment process
• Develop and utilize interviewing skills that prompt open dialogue.
• Assist with opening new cases in the OCSS case management system and assign cases as needed for ongoing supervision
• Conduct investigations for the Court and prepare written reports to assist judges in the determination of appropriate sentences, release conditions or the sealing of criminal offense records, as assigned
• Complete thorough, well-written reports that detail an individual’s progress on supervision and include thoughtful and informed recommendations 
• Maintain accurate, current, and thorough documentation and records.
• Maintain effective lines of communication with all staff and stakeholders.
• Provide positive reinforcement and build rapport with defendants.
• Contribute to a strong, supportive, and productive team environment.
• Conduct DNA testing if required.
• Appear and testify in Court when necessary.
• Participate in activities that enhance the department and Court, the individual units within the department, and the officer’s own professional development
• Attend training and professional development events for evidence-based practices in community corrections and behavioral health issues, per department standards and as deemed appropriate
• Assist in administrative functions that include coordinating and directing the public
• Maintain confidentiality of the Court and Probation Department information
• Assist with the reporting, collection, and analysis of data.
• 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 course work 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
• Knowledge of evidence-based practices in the field of community correction
• Ability to assess and supervise defendants effectively (e.g., assess and resolve   problems, motivate defendants toward prosocial supports and activities, and facilitate interventions that assist defendants in changing their thinking and behavior)
• 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 the field of community corrections to work within the Court and community corrections field effectively.
• 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, able 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 on a regular basis
• 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 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 experience relating to probation, and parole, with demonstrated knowledge of legal terminology, pretrial and probation-related procedures, policies, trends and developments, and evidence-based practices in Community Corrections.
• One (1) year experience with interviewing and conducting assessment 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 or 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 will 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. The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

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