Recognitions highlight outstanding programs implemented last year

PHOENIX (July 9, 2024) – The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County recently took home 13 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Awards for the development and implementation of innovative programs across the Branch. From programs that support youth by providing care for substance use and alternative solutions to anti-social thinking, programs that reach justice-involved women, and programs that make departmental processes more efficient and sustainable. 

Decision Points

Category: Children and Youth

The Juvenile Probation Department received three NACo Achievement Awards. Two awards recognized new programs to meet youth needs and one to improve the department’s recruitment and retention of juvenile detention officers. 
 
The Decision Points program equips participants with alternative ways to examine their thinking and the related actions that lead them into trouble. The program consists of four core skills and is offered both in-person and virtually and can be completed in 12-16 sessions. 

 

SPARK

Category: Children and Youth

SPARK begins with screening and supportive care for substance use upon admission to the detention center, followed by a more detailed substance use history during the mental health assessment, brief intervention, and a preventive medical visit on substance use education including Narcan use. Eligible youths for the brief intervention are between ages 12-16 and voluntarily participate in a three-week program using Teen Intervene worksheets and multiple health education sessions on the specific drugs that the youth have used. Youth are assessed at the initial and last counseling session for stages of change in relation to their substance use behaviors.

 

Juvenile Detention Officer Recruitment Days

Category: Children and Youth

JDO Recruitment Days provide a multifaceted approach for candidates to learn about the department, the detention facility, and the role of a JDO through facility tours, presentations and access to a variety of department staff throughout the day. In addition, potential candidates participate in panel interviews and risk-management screening tools designed to identify candidates suitable for the juvenile detention officer position. The goal is to hire not only qualified but engaged juvenile detention officers. 

“These awards serve as a strong reminder of the Juvenile Probation Department’s history in adapting and innovating to meet the changing needs of our youth and community,” said Chief of Juvenile Probation Eric Meaux. “More importantly, the awards shine a light of recognition on the challenging and critical work carried out by juvenile probation officers and staff. Their commitment to excellence and serving our community cannot be overstated.”

 

Project Restore: My Records & My Rights

Category: Civic Education and Public Information

The initiative “Project Restore: My Records & My Rights,” which was also recognized with an award this year, gave those who were once involved in the juvenile justice system the opportunity to remove social and economic barriers by applying for the destruction of their juvenile records. The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County hosted this inaugural event last November and plans to continue to hold annual events in the future.  

“The Juvenile Department and the many involved system partners are pleased to be recognized with a NACo award for Project Restore,” said Deputy Juvenile Department Administrator Carma Umpleby. “It was a collaborative effort that shows how we can have great impact in our community when we work together to serve the public. We look forward to many future Project Restore events.”

“Project Restore: My Records & My Rights” is a collaborative effort by justice system partners to enhance access to justice for citizens who were once involved in the juvenile justice system. This initiative makes applying for destruction of juvenile records, restoration of civil rights after a juvenile offense, set aside of juvenile adjudications, and/or expungement of juvenile marijuana offenses more accessible. If they are eligible, their request will be granted and the social and economic barriers due to their involvement in the juvenile justice system get removed.

 

Stand Up Behavioral Health Expo

Category: Civic Education and Public Information

For the first time last year, the Judicial Branch of Arizona partnered with more than 30 vendors to offer an inaugural event during Mental Health Awareness Month that aimed at connecting individuals to services that meet the needs of vulnerable populations and their families. 

“Our team receiving the NACo Award in Civic Education and Public Information is an honor that emphasizes the importance of our work in bringing critical information about justice and mental health services to the public,” said Community Services Supervisor Chelsea Heintz. “It highlights our commitment to fostering informed communities and inspires us to continue our collaborative efforts in making resources more accessible. I am proud to have worked with this team of agencies that came together to make an impact.”
 
The purpose of this event was to connect individuals to services that meet the needs of vulnerable populations and their families. The goal was to reach traditionally underserved populations, such as communities of color and LGBTQIA+ community. This event brought the community and service providers together to gain awareness and increase connections to resources. More than 30 vendors were present at the event, and provided information on mental health services, physical wellness, justice services, and more.

 

Fugitive Apprehension Unit’s Warrant Fileless Streamlining

Category: County Administration and Management

The Adult Probation Department nearly doubled the number of awards received by the National Association of Counties this year compared to last, by being recognized with eight Achievement Awards in 2024. 

“We are very proud of the staff at the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department, and all that they have accomplished. Due to their dedication and commitment, the department received all eight NACo awards it nominated,” said Chief of Adult Probation Michael Cimino “The NACo awards are just a small representation of the hard work that went into every program that was nominated. These programs come to life through ideas submitted from across the department, and it goes to show how staff are constantly working to find ways to enhance community safety through service, accountability and influencing change. They improve services to victims, justice-involved individuals, the community, APD staff, and Judicial Branch employees. The teams on each project pour their heart into their work and receiving national recognition is a great feeling of accomplishment. Special thanks to everyone who worked on these, and we cannot wait to see what new programs come to life in 2025.” 

During the 2020 pandemic, there was an increase in the volume of requests due to the length of time attorneys were requesting to move cases through the system and other new community factors, and several dozens of physical files were being delivered to the Fugitive Apprehension Unit office per day. Fugitive Apprehension Unit support staff developed and created a program for the Department to streamline the warrant and case assignment processes. This involved forging a new, efficient path to cut down on the processing of physical files, and instead focusing on the speedy assignment of warrants to an apprehension officer.

 

Initial Absconder Probation Violation Report Program

Category: County Administration and Management

There is a subset of individuals who, after being sentenced or reinstated to probation, never report to the department or their probation officer as directed. The probation officer assigned to these ‘initial absconders’ would attempt to locate them, and if they were still unable to, would then be required to complete a full Probation Violation Report despite having very little to report about. To alleviate the time and resources spent on the reports for these types of cases, an abbreviated probation violation template was created by the department’s Court Liaison Unit. The new Initial Absconder Probation Violation Report template cost nothing to implement, saved time for officers, and retained the essential information necessary for probation violation court proceedings.

 

Saving Trees by Reinventing Electronically (STRivE Program)

Category: County Administration and Management

The STRivE Program created a systematic process for reviewing regularly printed documents across all areas of the Adult Probation Department and established a paperless solution, where appropriate. The STRivE Program so far has identified 34 regularly printed documents that no longer need to be printed which has since resulted in cost savings, reduced paper use and increased efficiency.

 

Probation and Recycling Program: A Collaborative Initiative for Justice-Involved Individuals and Environmental Sustainability

Category: County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy, and Sustainability

The Maricopa County Adult Probation Department and the Maricopa County Facility Management Department launched a collaborative initiative called Maricopa County Probation and Recycling Program to provide justice-involved individuals, specifically those with disabilities, unique opportunities to fulfill their community restitution requirements. This program focuses on giving recycling and sustainability-based tasks to justice-involved individuals, which assists the Facility Management Department with the workload associated with these recycling standards. This collaboration addressed the need for special accommodations that some individuals on probation require while promoting environmental sustainability through proper recycling practices that Maricopa County prioritizes.

 

Justice-Involved Women Program: gender-specific community supervision and services

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

The Justice-Involved Women Program, while ensuring compliance and accountability on probation, provides gender-responsive probation supervision to women through a trauma-informed lens to improve their overall stability, safety, self-esteem and probation outcomes. The Justice-Involved Women Program also aims to reduce the risk of reoffending by providing resources and assistance targeted to unique female-centric needs. Officers supervising justice-involved women caseloads develop more tailored and detailed case plans based on the results of the Women’s Risk Needs Assessment, a nationally recognized and validated risk-assessment specific to women on probation supervision.

 

Warrant Resolution Streamlining for Individuals in Custody

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety

The Warrant Resolution Streamlining program reassessed the resolution program and created a new process to consolidate the warrant resolution process into a single position. This program freed the probation officers and clinicians from the complex resolution process, allowing them to focus on their primary duties of transition services and treatment placement. As a result, this program led to an increase in resolved warrants and individuals placed in treatment, which saves resources and translates into more positive outcomes for the individuals on probation.

 

Innovative Probation Assessment and Case Plan Refresher Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment, and Training

The newly established Assessment and Case Plan Refresher Program utilized existing staff to analyze staff feedback on previous refresher training formats, craft an enhanced curriculum tailored to the feedback, and include additional resources and guides. The program restructures the training format to fit into the regularly occurring unit meetings and prompts open discussions and real examples to have the most effectiveness and relevance to staff. This new refresher program started in January 2023, with approximately 600 probation staff completing all six sessions for this refresher.

 

An Updated and Refreshed Look for Departmental Resources

Category: Information Technology

A team of Maricopa County Adult Probation Department staff replaced the outdated intranet page with a professional Microsoft SharePoint site that gives staff easily accessible, updated and valuable information pertaining to their daily job duties, the department and the Judicial Branch of Maricopa County. Department staff analyzed data and visits from the previous Intranet page to determine what links, documents, and resources should be included or highlighted. The team collaborated with staff throughout the department to ensure current and up-to-date resources were published on the new SharePoint site, which was named ‘APD Connect’. The new site not only improves the overall aesthetics of the site, but significantly improves the accessibility, searchability, and organization of the information that is located on it.

For more information on these awards, visit: NACo Awards Program Search. 

 

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