Note:
Meals ready to eat, hygiene kits, winter coats, and sleeping bags can be delivered to those in need. Ask your probation officer.
The Kane County Probation Department provides mandated services to defendants on juvenile and adult caseloads. The department provides monitoring, supervision and referral services to defendants on caseload as well as providing information to the Courts as required. Kane County Probation is decentralized in order to better serve the community. Offices are located St Charles, Aurora and Elgin.
Adult Probation
The Probation Officers work closely with the Court and local service providers to assist the defendants in successfully completing the terms of probation. In addition, the officers notify the State's Attorney's Office (SAO) of those defendants not complying with the terms of probation or failing to fulfill sentencing conditions. It is the SAO who then determines if the defendant should return to court.
Juvenile Probation
Probation Services monitors diversion cases, adjudicated delinquent minors, and cases which are continued under Court Supervision. In addition to maintaining contact with the minors, the probation department maintains contact with the minor's parents, school and counseling agencies where appropriate and monitors the collection of restitution when applicable. Probation Services also writes social history reports for those cases referred
Presentence Investigations
The PSI Unit is composed of two positions. This unit is responsible for the interview, investigation, and compilation of Presentence Investigations for the Court of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit and initial screening and referral of appropriate candidates to Intensive Probation Supervision. They are also responsible for the completion of courtesy criminal record checks as requested by agencies outside of Kane County.
Pretrial Release Program
The Pretrial Release Program provides the court with accurate information on defendants in order that bail amounts and/or appropriate conditions of bond can be set to lessen the need to incarcerate offenders. Defendants who have not posted bond may be scheduled for a bond reduction motion hearing, interviewed, and a report is generated for the Judge, State's Attorney’s Office and the defendant's attorney. Recommendations are provided should the defendant be considered for release and, if ordered by the court, the Pretrial unit will monitor the conditions set by the court. Pretrial Services also supervises defendants who have been released from jail with conditions of bond not generated from the unit. These cases typically require urinalyses, telephone contact, employment verification, etc. Status reports are completed for every court hearing until a disposition is reached in the case.
Reporting Conditional Discharge
Reporting Conditional Discharge is a sentence imposed by the court where the defendant must complete certain conditions. A Conditional Discharge Officer supervises those defendants ordered by the court to report to Court Services. The officer is able to refer defendants to community agencies for services and monitors all conditions of sentence such as counseling, weekends in jail, community service and monies owed to the court. The Conditional Discharge Officer also completes a criminal history check on each case prior to completing a “Term Report” for the court.
Community Restitution Service Program (CRS)
This program is a sentencing alternative where adult and juvenile defendants work at not-for-profit organizations as compensation to the community or in lieu of paying fines. Coordinators recruit worksites, train worksite coordinators and schedule offenders. Sentenced offenders are scheduled near their home to complete court ordered hours. The coordinators also schedule defendants for the program on a walk-in basis. Compliance or non-compliance is reported to the sentencing court by the Coordinators. A $50 CRS fee is required and a $25 monthly supervision fee is imposed if the defendant does not complete their hours within 6 months. The successful completion of hours ordered directly benefits the residents of Kane County through the labor completed.
Special Programs
Domestic Violence Program
The Domestic Violence Program was implemented in 1998 to work with adult offenders and grew to include juvenile offenders in 2001. This program provides more intensive supervision for high risk domestic violence cases. The adult offender program also involves regular contact with the victim of the domestic abuse to ensure the victim's safety and to broker victim services. Adult cases that complete treatment in an expeditious manner may be transitioned to a regular caseload. All juvenile domestic violence cases that are sentenced to this program are ordered to complete a combination of anger management counseling, family counseling, individual counseling, substance abuse counseling, psychiatric treatment and/or domestic violence counseling.
Specialized Sex Offender Program
Adult and juvenile offenders ordered into this program are supervised at a maximum level and are subject to additional surveillance and monitoring by the Sex Offender unit. Close communication between the supervising probation officers and the contracted treatment provider minimizes the ability of these offenders to hide violations of their probation terms. It also enables the professionals involved in the case to more easily identify behaviors which may indicate the offender is at risk to re-offend. Kane County remains actively involved with the Sex Offender Management Board, which began in 2001. Kane County continues to experience a growing number of offenders who are convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. One of the changes in population that we are experiencing is the increasing number of offenders that have served prison sentences for their original sex offense conviction but are failing to continue to register correctly upon release from parole.
