Probation can be a great alternative to a county jail sentence. Probationary supervision can be coupled with a “withholding of adjudication.” Such a final outcome or “disposition”avoids a formal conviction and can often qualify the individual to later have their records of arrest sealed or expunged.
For the past several decades, Pinellas county has had a contract with the Salvation Army Correctional Services. This agency supervises those persons placed by the court on misdemeanor probation. In the past, an individual ordered to serve misdemeanor probation could elect to have a probation officer assigned from either the North county or South county probation office locations. For example, those persons working or residing near downtown Clearwater would often select the North county office location, while those probationers with St. Petersburg ties, typically chose the south county Tyrone area office.
Salvation Army Correctional Services partners with our local criminal justice system and for years has provided a cost effective alternative to a county operated agency that would otherwise be funded by tax payer dollars. However, over the past eighteen months, the economic recession and associated cutbacks forced the Salvation Army to lay off approximately eight employees. These included both probation officers and supervising personnel. Since then, things have gone from bad to worse. Effective June 27th, 2012 the North county probation office will be officially permanently closed. After that date, any person serving misdemeanor probation must report to the South county location at 4950 34th Street North in St. Petersburg.
Pinellas county has more than 916,000 residents, making it the most densely populated county within the state of Florida. Having all probationers report to a single South county office will be burdensome for those individuals forced to fight congested traffic from the far reaches of Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs.
Those who have visited the South county probation office can attest to the out-dated, run down condition of the building and its facilities. Salvation Army employees have openly expressed concerns over the building’s proximity to low income housing and a transient homeless population. Probation officers have observed criminal offenses such as domestic violence and prostitution take place in their own parking lot and at neighboring businesses. Our office has learned that the current lease of the South county facility will expire within about eighteen months time. We anticipate that efforts will most likely be made to thereafter secure a mid-county location such as that of the Pinellas County Criminal Justice Center and Pinellas County Jail. In the mean time, you can expect cramped quarters as county wide probation officers and probationers attempt to squeeze into a single obsolete facility.
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Related Links:
Alternatives to serving Straight Jail Time
Who is the Pinellas Judge Assigned to My Case?
Obtaining Pinellas County Criminal Records
How to Best Handle a Violation of Probation
I visit Clearwater Florida regularly. I would have never thought that their would even be a need for a probation office in that area. Everyone is so nice and it seems like such a low key area. We used to go there and get vacation rental vails from our travel agent. I guess it is a good thing they are receiving cutbacks because that must mean that crime is low.
Posted by: Michael Cornelia | September 21, 2012 at 10:49 AM