A2 Probation Agency Head Discussion Guide

Core Development Work
Probation Agency Head Discussion Guide
Thank you for taking time to review the survey materials and speak with me today. During our call,
I would like to hear your thoughts about the content and focus of the survey – especially as they
relate to the definitions and instructions used in the survey. The APS has been standardized because
it is a national survey collection; so some of the content and terminology might not match your
agency’s definitions and practices. It is really helpful to hear about how agencies define and track
their own populations and the extent to which they match those used on the survey.
There are a few specific sections of the survey that I would like to discuss with you. We can go
through the questionnaire page by page, and I’ll raise the issues that I have. If you would like to talk
about any issues that I don’t raise, please let me know.
The first question that I have on my list is Question 3. Should we begin with that question
or is there anything on the cover page or on the first two questions that you would like to
talk about?
Q3. …discharged from supervision for the following reasons –
a. Completions 
 Would your agency be able to sub‐divide the number of completions into the two categories 
of early terminations (early positive discharge) and expirations?  How would your agency 
define early terminations and expirations? 
o CAPSA definition of “Early terminations” or “early positive discharge”‐ A discharge prior 
to the scheduled expiration of a sentence granted in response to the satisfaction of 
conditions or earned time credits. 
o Definition of “Expirations”‐ A discharge according to the scheduled expiration of a 
sentence granted in response to the satisfaction of conditions of supervision (possibly 
with some financial conditions remaining). 
b3.  Incarcerated, to receive treatment [consider eliminating from survey] 
 What types of cases are discharged by incarceration to receive treatment?  Is this a 
permanent discharge from supervision or a type of diversion that occurs pre‐adjudication? 

b4.  Other  
 Take a look at Question 3, item b4.  There is an instruction to the right that refers to 
“probationers incarcerated pending a revocation, trial, sentencing, or others.”  Does your 
agency supervise any individuals that would fall into this category? What types of cases are 
these?  [Shouldn’t they only be discharged after actual revocation or sentencing?] 

c.  Absconder 
d.  Warrant or detainer 
 Are discharges for being an absconder an absolute discharge?  Do discharges for being an 
absconder have a warrant issued?   
 How does your agency define a detainer, and how is this different from a warrant? 
 How are discharges for being an absconder different from probationers discharged to a 
warrant or detainer? 

e.  Transferred to another probation agency 
 Can you tell me more about the probationers in this category? [How can a probationer be 
discharged by being transferred to another agency?  Even with inter‐state compact 
agreements, the case is still technically under the jurisdiction of the original court.  It could 
be considered inactive by the originating jurisdiction but not discharged.] 

g.  Other [consider eliminating from survey] 
 What other types of discharges does your agency track? What would you include in each of 
the three categories: other completions, unsatisfactory, and other? 

Next, let’s look at Question 4.
Q4. On December 31st, what was your agency’s adult probation population?
 What types of populations would be included in your agency’s yearend count? 
 Would you include juveniles sentenced in an adult court? 
 Could your agency break‐out the yearend count by the following categories? 

o Active vs. inactive (Does “active” include absconders, low‐risk, those in residential 
placements that are/are not still under their jurisdiction?) 
o Custody vs. jurisdiction counts 
o Felon vs. misdemeanant populations 
o Persons not fully adjudicated (pretrial) 
o Unsupervised 

If your agency was able to provide data for the yearend count on the number of 
POPULATION TYPE, would you be able to provide the data for the rest of the survey for just 
these POPULATION TYPE probationers? 

Before we move on to the next page, are there any other issues that you would like to talk
about on Question 1 through 4?
Q5. …count of individuals or cases?
 How does your agency define “cases”?  Does it include instances where the person was 
under supervision for two or more distinct sentences?  Under supervision for two or more 
offenses as part of the same sentence?  Something else? 
 Your agency provides data at the case level.  Can you explain why you report cases and not 
individuals? Could your agency provide data at the individual level?   
 Could your agency provide an estimate of the number of people with multiple cases? Could 
your agency provide an estimate of the average number of cases per individual? 

Unless you have comments on Questions 6 through 8, I’ll move on to Question 9.
Q9. …most serious offense –
Does your agency use a hierarchy to define which offenses are more serious than others? Can we
obtain a copy of the hierarchy?
g.  Other traffic offense [consider eliminating from survey] 
 What types of traffic offenses, other than DWI or DUI, are considered the most serious 
offense that could lead to someone getting sentenced to community supervision? 

If you’re ready, I’d like to look at Question 14 next.
Q14. …placed on probation through –
d.  Suspended imposition of a sentence (persons not fully adjudicated, e.g., probation before 
verdict) 

 What types of probationers would be included in this category?  How would your agency 
define this group (e.g., persons on pretrial, probationers being supervised while on 
diversion)? 
 Would your agency include these probationers in the yearend count? 

Next, I’d like to talk about Question 15.
Q15. …probationers supervised by your agency had a status of –
a. Active 

d. Inactive
 How does your agency define an “active” probationer?  How does your agency define an 
“inactive” probationer? What types of probationers are included or excluded? 

 Would your agency be able to provide data on the number of individuals in the yearend 
count who are on “active” supervision status?  Would your agency be able to provide data 
on the number of individuals in the yearend count who are on “inactive” supervision status?   

c. Only financial conditions remaining
 Would these probationers be included in the yearend total? 
 Would these probationers be included in the number discharged by completion? 

e. Absconders
f. Warrant status
 How are absconders different from those that are discharged to a warrant or detainer? 
 Would these probationers be included in the numbers reported as discharged for being an 
absconder or on warrant status? If not, would they still be included in the yearend 
population? 

g. Supervised out of jurisdiction
 What types of probationers would your agency include in this category? 
 Would this category include interstate compact cases that are reported in Question 10? 

Q16. …probationers who had their location tracked through a Global Positioning System
(GPS)
 Would this category include defendants who have a suspended imposition of a sentence 
(pretrial)? 
 Can you tell me more about how your agency uses GPS to track probationers? 
 What other types of electronic monitoring does your agency use?  What types of 
probationers are tracked in these ways? 

For central reporters: Administrative records
 Would your agency be able provide administrative records describing your probation 
population?   
 What information does your agency maintain in your administrative records? 
 What format is the information in? 
 What restrictions are there on information‐sharing (de‐identified data only)? 

Agency Head comments: That was the last issue that I wanted to raise.
 Is there anything else that you’ve noted in the questionnaire that might affect how your 
agency would categorize or report on any population that you supervise?