MI Provides Parolees with Automated Phone Check-in
A new procedure in which low-risk parolees can call in to an automated system – rather than report in person to a parole or probation officer – is expected to be implemented in July in Michigan. Reported in The Detroit News.
The new “OffenderLink” system comes as the state grapples with thousands of parolees who already don’t bother to report to probation officers after release. Critics worry the call-in program could only add to the problem.
Miya Williamson, an officer with UAW Local 6000, which represents 1,344 Michigan parole agents, thinks the call-in program won’t provide enough oversight.
“It will result in agents failing to maintain contact with their offenders — no type of accountability,” she said. “If you can trust this person to call in, then why are they on phone status anyway?”
But state corrections officials believe the program will free officers to monitor higher-risk releases as the state seeks to cut budgets and beds and shutdown prisons. Training begins next month for the program.
“It will allow agents to spend more time on moderate- and higher-risk offenders,” said John Cordell, a state Department of Corrections spokesman.
He said the cost will be borne by fees assessed to those enrolled in the program. “We’ve already piloted low-risk supervision, but are now integrating automated reporting into that approach.”
Cordell said low-risk offenders — those most typically associated with minimum supervision levels — are likely to complete supervision without committing new crimes and without assistance or intervention from supervisors.
“Low-risk really is a measure of an individual’s likelihood of reoffense, rather than the crime itself,” Cordell said.
Some substance abusers prone to relapse and crime may not be considered for the program, Cordell said, adding that eligibility procedures were still being developed.
Success in other statesUnder the program, offenders would call an automated OffenderLink system and leave recorded responses to later be reviewed by parolee officers.
The system also can be used to remind offenders of court dates and other required appointments. About 50,000 ex-offenders are now reporting on OffenderLink in Missouri, and officials there say it’s been a success.
That call-in system has been in place for seven years, partly replacing a program that allowed low-risk releases to mail in monthly reports.
“In belt-tightening times, this can be a help,” said Tom Hodges, an assistant director of probation/parole in Missouri. “In the last 18 months, we’ve been permitting some medium-risk offenders into the call-in system. But it also augments existing face-to-face contact.”
The program can identify the origin of the call, he said, acknowledging that parolees can use cell phones out of state and that there is no way to determine who made the call.
Almost 2,400 absconders
The whereabouts of thousands of Michigan parolees — some of whom served minimum sentences for assaultive crimes — remains unknown.According to state figures obtained by The News, there were 2,392 absconders — paroled ex-cons who stopped reporting to probation officers as required after release — as of January.
Of the total, 657 — or 27.5 percent — were on parole for violent crimes, including 50 sex offenders. Another 11,000 offenders convicted of less-serious crimes failed to report to probation officers after being released from custody rather than spend time in county jails.
State corrections spokesman Russell Marlan said absconder numbers are actually down, in part because of new tracking technology.
“It used to be that a parole officer might have to physically follow a parolee around for a day to see what they were doing,” Marlan said.
“Now with GPS (global positioning system), one agent can track 30 at one time.”
But critics of efforts to parole offenders closer to eligibility dates than in the past fear that practice only results in a larger pool of potential criminals and absconders, and ultimately poses a public safety threat.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2008 there were 47,692 absconders out of 729,540 parolees nationwide, or around 6 percent.
There were 13,541 inmates paroled in 2009 in Michigan. About 92 percent are described as very low, low or middlerisk for assaultive behavior.
Officials credit the Michigan Prison ReEntry Initiative, which puts support programs in place for newly released inmates.
Some, like Ingham County parole officer Kyle Williams, stress working with offenders, families and others to help them succeed will make the newly released more compliant to supervision.
“Each person is on GPS monitoring,” Williams said. “If he chooses to abscond, we know that immediately and respond promptly.”
Tamra Flowers, a Kalamazoo County parole officer who averages 25 cases, said monthly roundtables with criminal justice experts about high-risk cases help put more focus on resources.
‘This isn’t a solution’
But in a state racked by double-digit unemployment and shrinking police budgets, others remain unconvinced.Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said he sees more unsupervised parolees and absconders as a recipe for tragedy. He said knowing the location of a parolee is not only a deterrent to a repeat offense, but also is essential for public safety when it comes to people with assaultive histories.
“This isn’t a solution,” said Leyton, referring to state’s efforts to release inmates, including use of the call-in program. “The solution is to slow down the parole process … and do everything you can to maintain public safety. That’s job one.”
It remains undetermined what the offender-officer ratio will be here, but a December 2009 Michigan Corrections Department memo to parole offices noted Missouri agents use the system “to manage low-risk caseloads in excess of 400 offenders.”
Kelly Barnett, a Wayne County parole agent, said caseloads of 300 or 400 ex-offenders are “unreasonable.” She foresees problems.
“Someone calls up on a computer system and responds to prompts and leaves answers,” she said. “Some answers demand follow-up questions. If you have 300 to 400 of these to check up on, when are you going to get back to someone?”
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