Posted on December 13, 2018
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
Santa will be at the Starke County Court Services office on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Starke County Annex Building No. 2 at 108 N. Pearl Street in Knox.
The staff members welcome all families and children to visit with Santa. Pictures will be taken and all may have some cookies and refreshments before leaving the event.
Court Services Director Shawn Mattraw invites those attending to bring a non-perishable food item or personal hygiene item to be donated to the Community Services of Starke County food pantry.
Any questions may be directed to Shawn Mattraw at (574) 772-9151 ext. 152.
Showing posts with label Starke County Court Services. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Starke County Court Services. Show all posts
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Friday, October 19, 2018
Starke County Court Services to Host Fall-o-Ween Event for Home Detention Participants
Posted on October 19, 2018
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
Starke County Court Services representatives will host a Fall-o-Ween Family Fun Fest event today for those participating in home detention supervision. Activities, food and prizes will be given to participants and their family members during the festivities at Wythogan Park in Knox.
Director of Court Services Shawn Mattraw explained why they are having this unique happening.
“By law, individuals sentenced to home detention supervision in-lieu of prison are highly restricted regarding movement to-and-from their respective residence,” said Mattraw. “Generally, medical leave, court approved counseling and treatment programs, religious programs, and work are the few times an individual is permitted to leave their residence. Our agency complies with the law and program staff members do a good job of monitoring approved movement and sanctioning unauthorized movement.
“The eight principles of effective intervention and (evidence-based research) has shown that by increasing an individual’s engagement in pro-social activities in the community, there is a greater likelihood of reducing overall recidivism. That is why, for the second year in a row, our agency has sponsored a family fun day, where program staff and the individuals they supervise, can engage in fun-filled, pro-social activities while working on positive and professional relationship-building skills. It also gives participants an opportunity to view staff in a different light, not just as rule enforcers, but as agents of change.
“We do extend an invitation to other members of the criminal justice community (courts, probation and prosecutor) to attend, because it allows participants to view these individuals in a more relaxed setting as well, outside of their respective and traditional roles.”
Author Anita Goodan, WKVI
Starke County Court Services representatives will host a Fall-o-Ween Family Fun Fest event today for those participating in home detention supervision. Activities, food and prizes will be given to participants and their family members during the festivities at Wythogan Park in Knox.
Director of Court Services Shawn Mattraw explained why they are having this unique happening.
“By law, individuals sentenced to home detention supervision in-lieu of prison are highly restricted regarding movement to-and-from their respective residence,” said Mattraw. “Generally, medical leave, court approved counseling and treatment programs, religious programs, and work are the few times an individual is permitted to leave their residence. Our agency complies with the law and program staff members do a good job of monitoring approved movement and sanctioning unauthorized movement.
“The eight principles of effective intervention and (evidence-based research) has shown that by increasing an individual’s engagement in pro-social activities in the community, there is a greater likelihood of reducing overall recidivism. That is why, for the second year in a row, our agency has sponsored a family fun day, where program staff and the individuals they supervise, can engage in fun-filled, pro-social activities while working on positive and professional relationship-building skills. It also gives participants an opportunity to view staff in a different light, not just as rule enforcers, but as agents of change.
“We do extend an invitation to other members of the criminal justice community (courts, probation and prosecutor) to attend, because it allows participants to view these individuals in a more relaxed setting as well, outside of their respective and traditional roles.”
Monday, July 30, 2018
Starke County Court Services Director Reports Smooth Transition, Following Merger
Posted on July 30, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
The process of merging Starke County Community Corrections with the County Probation Department has been a smooth one, so far. That’s according to Shawn Mattraw. He’s the director of the new entity, known as Starke County Court Services. “Some of the concern some folks have shared is they felt maybe the Probation side might be swallowed up by Community Corrections, that we just want to take over everything, and that’s not the intent,” he says. “The intent is we want to make sure that we can provide our probation officers more resources to do their job more effectively.”
He says the recent hire of a full-time corrections field officer will help with that effort. “Part of his responsibilities, of course, he’ll check on individuals sentenced to probation, community corrections, pretrial release monitoring,” Mattraw explains, “and that gives our probation officers somebody in the field that can assist with compliance checks and take some of the load off their plate, as well.”
Mattraw adds that the merger has led to more evidence-based sentencing recommendations, especially the use of risk assessments for criminal defendants. He says additional employees have been trained in the system, and Court Services is working with defense attorneys and the Prosecutor’s Office to streamline that process. “So that way, you have a defendant that comes over here, gets evaluated,” Mattraw says. “We can let everybody in the judicial system know, ‘Here’s his risk level. Here’s what we recommend in terms of supervision, and here’s what we recommend in terms of treatment.’ It’s not a crapshoot. It’s not a guess. It’s a more precise and scientific evaluation, specifically based on the risk score of that defendant.”
Over the long term, Mattraw believes the changes will help Starke County focus its resources on the high- and moderate-risk offenders who need it most.
He credits the county’s Probation and Community Corrections staff with making the merger a smooth process.
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Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
The process of merging Starke County Community Corrections with the County Probation Department has been a smooth one, so far. That’s according to Shawn Mattraw. He’s the director of the new entity, known as Starke County Court Services. “Some of the concern some folks have shared is they felt maybe the Probation side might be swallowed up by Community Corrections, that we just want to take over everything, and that’s not the intent,” he says. “The intent is we want to make sure that we can provide our probation officers more resources to do their job more effectively.”
He says the recent hire of a full-time corrections field officer will help with that effort. “Part of his responsibilities, of course, he’ll check on individuals sentenced to probation, community corrections, pretrial release monitoring,” Mattraw explains, “and that gives our probation officers somebody in the field that can assist with compliance checks and take some of the load off their plate, as well.”
Mattraw adds that the merger has led to more evidence-based sentencing recommendations, especially the use of risk assessments for criminal defendants. He says additional employees have been trained in the system, and Court Services is working with defense attorneys and the Prosecutor’s Office to streamline that process. “So that way, you have a defendant that comes over here, gets evaluated,” Mattraw says. “We can let everybody in the judicial system know, ‘Here’s his risk level. Here’s what we recommend in terms of supervision, and here’s what we recommend in terms of treatment.’ It’s not a crapshoot. It’s not a guess. It’s a more precise and scientific evaluation, specifically based on the risk score of that defendant.”
Over the long term, Mattraw believes the changes will help Starke County focus its resources on the high- and moderate-risk offenders who need it most.
He credits the county’s Probation and Community Corrections staff with making the merger a smooth process.
Share this:
Thursday, July 5, 2018
Starke County Probation Department, Community Corrections Merge
Posted on July 5, 2018
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
The recent merger of Starke County Community Corrections with the County Probation Department will result in better services, as well as cost savings. That’s according to Shawn Mattraw. He’s the director of the new entity, known as Starke County Court Services. “Well, the big difference is that it’s going to [be] a cost savings,” he says, “The past structure, when we were separate entities, we had a director in Community Corrections and a chief probation officer. Those positions were funded pretty nicely. Now, those positions have been eliminated, and it’s just me.”
Starke County Court Services is made up of three divisions: Probation, Community Corrections, and Pretrial. Along with Mattraw, the senior leadership team includes two supervisors, one for Probation and one for Community Corrections.
Mattraw says one of the main goals is to give probation officers a more manageable caseload. “A big thing is, by merging both divisions, increased accountability, and we’re going to be able to provide greater levels of supervision to the community for probationers, folks on Community Corrections, folks on pretrial release services because, traditionally, probation officers have had pretty high caseloads in Starke County.”
To help alleviate that problem, Mattraw says Corrections case managers will now become certified probation officers. “When they have an offender start supervision, generally, they serve six months to a year on home detention, and then they’ve got a year or two on probation to follow,” he explains. “So what this will do, this will allow that same case manager that started with that individual on home detention to be his or her supervising probation officer now, throughout their term of probation.” The restructuring will also allow the county to provide more group programs and other services, including some new resources to assist Knox City Court, according to Mattraw.
He says Starke County is the 18th in Indiana to complete such a merger. “Former Chief Probation Officer John Thorstad and myself have been looking at the possibility of a merger for about the last year now,” he says. “We had looked at other smaller counties similar to Starke County that had completed the merger and had success with it, and kind of used that as our stepping stone.” Mattraw thanks the judges, county commissioners, and Community Corrections Advisory Board for their support with the process.
Author Michael Gallenberger, WKVI
The recent merger of Starke County Community Corrections with the County Probation Department will result in better services, as well as cost savings. That’s according to Shawn Mattraw. He’s the director of the new entity, known as Starke County Court Services. “Well, the big difference is that it’s going to [be] a cost savings,” he says, “The past structure, when we were separate entities, we had a director in Community Corrections and a chief probation officer. Those positions were funded pretty nicely. Now, those positions have been eliminated, and it’s just me.”
Starke County Court Services is made up of three divisions: Probation, Community Corrections, and Pretrial. Along with Mattraw, the senior leadership team includes two supervisors, one for Probation and one for Community Corrections.
Mattraw says one of the main goals is to give probation officers a more manageable caseload. “A big thing is, by merging both divisions, increased accountability, and we’re going to be able to provide greater levels of supervision to the community for probationers, folks on Community Corrections, folks on pretrial release services because, traditionally, probation officers have had pretty high caseloads in Starke County.”
To help alleviate that problem, Mattraw says Corrections case managers will now become certified probation officers. “When they have an offender start supervision, generally, they serve six months to a year on home detention, and then they’ve got a year or two on probation to follow,” he explains. “So what this will do, this will allow that same case manager that started with that individual on home detention to be his or her supervising probation officer now, throughout their term of probation.” The restructuring will also allow the county to provide more group programs and other services, including some new resources to assist Knox City Court, according to Mattraw.
He says Starke County is the 18th in Indiana to complete such a merger. “Former Chief Probation Officer John Thorstad and myself have been looking at the possibility of a merger for about the last year now,” he says. “We had looked at other smaller counties similar to Starke County that had completed the merger and had success with it, and kind of used that as our stepping stone.” Mattraw thanks the judges, county commissioners, and Community Corrections Advisory Board for their support with the process.
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