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Specialty Caseloads

Specialty caseloads focus on certain specialized topics or risk areas. Often these caseloads are smaller. In addition, staff may have specialized training and expertise, allowing supervision and treatment to be tailored to the person under supervision.

Criminal Sexual Behavior

Misdemeanor and felony offenses with a sexual component. Legislation regarding what constitutes a sexual offense varies widely from state to state. While the majority of such offenses are found in state statutes, federal offenses are defined in Title 18 of the US Criminal Code.

  • a drug detection dog named chip

    South Carolina’s newest K9 officer helps keep communities safe from offenders

    Cybercrime can be a difficult crime to track due to electronic media storage devices used by criminals. However, thanks to a new tool added to the state’s department of probation, parole and pardon services, explicit digital material will be easier to find. In the Palmetto State, there are almost 700 registered sex offenders. “The sex offenders under the department’s jurisdiction are supervised by trained probation and parole agents,” said Chad Gambrell, South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Service deputy director. These agents are with the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services. The department houses a digital forensics unit. These technicians analyze any electronic devices that are found during a search of a sex offenders residence. They look for sexually explicit material on these devices such as anything inappropriate or violates the law. However, some computer flash drives can be as small as a penny. To help find these, the department is recruiting the help of a canine officer.

  • The Use of Polygraph in Sex Offender Treatment

    Date: 2012 and 2014 
    This resource site from the Colorado Division of Criminal Justice outlines the use of polygraphs in the state by providing an overview of agency responsibility, use of the polygraph, and the cost associated with this technology.

  • Polygraph for Sex Offender Management

    Date: November 2016 
    This overview outlines the use of polygraphs for sex offenders supervised in the Federal system on Probation and Supervised Release for Federal Courts.

Drug Treatment Court

Mental Health

While offenses vary, caseloads will consist of persons under supervision with discernable mental health challenges. The terms mental health and behavioral health are often used interchangeably. Mental health relates more to thoughts and feelings, while behavioral health is "a far more expansive term that incorporates not just our mental wellness, but the way our thoughts play out in real life."

Domestic Violence

Also referred to as intimate partner violence, "includes physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, as well as sexual coercion and stalking by a current or former intimate partner.1 An intimate partner is defined as a person with whom the person under supervision had or has a close personal or sexual relationship." Statutes will differ from state to state on what defines misdemeanor and felony domestic violence charges.

Justice-Involved Veterans

Offenses and caseloads vary but are limited to those who have actively served in the various branches of the military.

  • Veterans treatment courts cover

    Justice Involved Veterans - Micro-site

    Undated 
    This micro-site is dedicated to Justice Involved Veterans and includes the Justice Involved Veterans Network (JIVN)
  • Veterans Treatment Courts

    Date: May 2016

    “It’s a win-win. There is absolutely no downside to attempting to deal with those underlying issues that bring veterans into the criminal justice system.”

    — Judge Lawrence Fox,Director, Treatment Courts, Cook County, Illinois

Justice Involved Women

Caseloads consisting of adult women representing a variety of offense types. Research shows that there are specific facets unique to women, that might occur at higher rates with women, or have a different impact on women (ex: reproductive health, sexual violence and mental health).

  • Overlooked: Women and Jails in an Era of Reform

    Date: 2016 
    This Vera Institute of Justice report is part of the Safety and Justice Challenge Project. It focuses on the issue of incarcerated women and their unique stories and needs when involved in the criminal justice system.
  • Supervision of Women Defendants and Offenders in the Community

    Undated 
    The use of gender-responsive strategies with women involved in the community corrections system is explained.
  • National Directory of Programs for Women with Criminal Justice Involvement

    Undated 
    The programs on this site are varied in the populations they serve and services provided. This database is intended for correctional stakeholders working across front end decision-making, pre-trial release, jail and prison reentry and covers topical areas such as parenting programs and substance abuse and/or behavioral health.
  • Justice-Involved Women

    Undated 
    The number of justice-involved women has skyrocketed -- at rates exceeding men. Their entry into the criminal justice system, offense patterns, and levels of risk often follow a different path than men and require more targeted approaches. Correctional administrators need to understand and address these differences to improve outcomes for women offenders.
  • Supervision Agency Gender-Responsive Evaluation (SAGE)

    SAGE is a process designed to guide assessment of research-based, gender-responsive policies and practices in jails, prisons, and community corrections programs for women.