TESTIMONY
Juanita Holmes, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation, on the Department's Contributions, Challenges, and Future Plans
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17 min
Juanita Holmes outlines the Department of Probation's strategies for alternatives to incarceration, efforts to combat gun violence, and plans to support vulnerable populations.
- Holmes discusses the Department of Probation's role in supervising over 30,000 cases in fiscal year 2023, marking a significant year-on-year increase.
- The Department's preliminary 2025 fiscal year budget sees a 13% reduction, potentially impacting services despite rising costs.
- Holmes introduces updates such as administrative changes, technology improvements, and collaboration with city agencies to enhance probation services.
- The Department is focusing on combating gun violence through specialized branches and collaborative police work, and on creating economic opportunities for justice-involved individuals.
- Holmes expresses commitment to supporting vulnerable populations like the homeless and improving public safety and recidivism rates.
Juanita Holmes
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Can you hear me?
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Okay.
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Good morning.
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Good morning, chin nurse, and members of the council, public advocate.
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I'm Juanita Holmes, commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation.
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I'm joined here today by the following Executive Cabinet Members Deputy Commissioner, Sharon Goodwin Matthew Grannoff, Bridget Hamlin, Robert Maldonado and Andrea McGill, as well as our Chief Information Officer, Rajwan Mirza.
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I would like to thank you for the tunity to discuss the important work being done by the Department of Probation and our preliminary 2025 fiscal year budget.
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This is not right.
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Sorry.
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Probation is an alternative to incarceration emerging from the desire to reform rather than punish.
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The probation system offers a rehabilitation path to advance the goal of addressing the underlying causes of criminal behavior and equipping clients their families with the skills and resources necessary for a law abiding life.
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Our mission at the Department of Probation operationalized through various programs and interventions aimed at addressing substance abuse, unemployment, and education.
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Or vocational deficiency as well as creating a stronger connection between clients and their communities.
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Probation is unique in that it is comprised of law enforcement officers who can manage risk while providing the essential support and supervision to assist people on their path to a change.
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As one of the largest alternatives to incarceration in the nation, I am proud of DOP's critical role in safely supervising individuals on probation citywide.
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In fiscal year 2023, the Department of Probation provided intake, investigation, and supervision services for over 30,000 cases, which is a 6% increase from 29,000 in fiscal year 22.
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More specifically, our intake has increased 25% from 88100 to 11 1000 individuals from fiscal year 22 to fiscal year 23, respectively.
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Furthermore, Department of Probation provide provided supervision intake to an additional 4,514 individuals which is nearly a 15% increase from the 3946 in fiscal year 2022.
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Leading the total number of individuals supervised in fiscal year 2023 to 15,000 101.
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It is safe to say that the number of individuals the Department of Probation is touching, is growing.
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Alternatively, for fiscal year 2025, the Department of Probation has a preliminary budget of $105,600,000 as compared to our fiscal year 2024 adopted budget of $119,900,000.
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This is a 13% less inclusive of the $9,100,000 PAG reduction of the preliminary budget 71,900,000 is for personal services, and 33,700,000 is for other than personal services.
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84,700,000 are city tax levy funds, 14,600,000 are state funds, and 6,300,000 are interest city funds.
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Despite a rise in the cost of services and the decrease in our budget.
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Department of probation is committed to ensuring that the best services are provided to justice involved individuals in the most efficient and effective ways.
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We are also committed to building stronger and safer communities while working to curb gun violence and reduce fasitivism.
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Our hardworking probation officers are at the heart of DOP's mission.
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To help people change their behavior, remain safely in their community, and lead a better life for themselves, their families, and our city.
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DOP's current head count of probation officers, and probation officer title is 423.
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This is down 200 and 71 probation officers from our peak probation officer head count of 694 in 2019.
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To ensure DOP remains staffed at, to operate safely and successfully.
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We have been approved to hire another class of probation officers of a current activist, and we will we are on schedule to onboard this class within the upcoming months.
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Additionally, an administrative probation officer exam, which has not been administered in over a decade, is tentatively scheduled for May.
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We also promoted 26 officers to supervising probation officers last year.
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Like the 75% of union contracts that have already been sign, we anticipate that probation officers contract will follow suit, giving our officers a pay increase with the hopes of mitigating attrition.
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While community safety can be achieved in a number of ways, public safety remains the paramount concern in the administration of probation.
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This includes the safety of all our officers.
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As a result, active shooter training has been implemented at DOP, starting with the boroughs of Bronx of the Bronx and Manhattan.
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This is also the reason why wearing uniforms have been reinforced.
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So our officers are clearly identifiable if met with such circumstances while working with clients or went out in the field.
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I would like to take the opportunity to clarify that this is not the first time probation officers have been required to carry firearms on their persons while performing duties.
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However, a policy has been implemented to ensure that our officers are complying with the requirements that have been in place since 2003.
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DOP wants to remain on the offensive and not defensive.
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When it comes to the safety and security of our officers who continue to work, with the support and support at risk clients.
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In order for our probation officers to provide the best support possible to clients, our officers need to grow their knowledge base, improve their job skills, and become more efficient in the workplace.
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This is why DOP is looking to build out in service training for our officers, beginning without supervising probation officers.
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Who will soon be sharpening the hard and soft managements their hard and soft management skills that are essential to performing their duties.
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Such as effective case management, communication, problem solving, and decision making.
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In addition to the great work done by the women and men of the Department of Probation, we have also established a new programs and evaluation team.
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This team has been created to obtain data beyond program attendance to ensure the programs being offered to clients are effective and will also lead to successful outcomes.
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Since I last testified before counsel, my team and I have met with our service providers to explain our program expectations and also to assist in capturing the outcomes of their programs.
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We have begun collecting data from 51 contracts, including 26 service providers covering 13 different programs.
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We will be using the data obtained over the next year to assess key performance indicators relating to recidivism, employment opportunities and educational attainment.
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And we'll be happy to share our findings with the council.
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Another way in which DOP is further developing performance and productivity is through technology.
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The case management program currently being used by DOP is over ten years old.
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Post evaluation, it was found that it no longer meets the needs of the agency or the city.
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As a result, DOP has hired a new chief information off who is working with the department to update all of DOP's technology systems.
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Not only will this safeguard the department but it will make sure that our officers are able to efficiently track their cases and afford COPD ability to run accurate data sets relating to our cases with the push of a button, making DOP more efficient and effective.
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DOP is also focused on building and expanding our collaborative efforts with our sister agencies including with the New York City Public Schools And New York City Police Department to better deliver timely services and resources to at risk individuals.
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DOP has collaborated with New York City Public Schools to identify students within the school system who are currently on probation and undercredited.
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A list of 461 students have been compiled, and our agency will work together to ensure that each of these students is in the right school setting to meet their needs.
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Probation officers will conduct follow ups with schools to ensure each of these students is attending classes and receiving the proper educational services.
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This initiative is in the beginning stages.
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This is there is more work to be done though we look forward to witnessing its achievements.
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Department of Probation has also partnered with the NYPD to include justice, involve youth, in the Girl Talk And Blue Chip's mentorship programs.
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These programs are designed for young women and men who are brought together in a judgment free zone to talk through problems, learn skills, and walk away with role models and a strong support system.
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This collaboration allowed DOP to leverage existing tunities and make them available to our clients.
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1 of our primary goals, one of my primary goals, as commissioner is to curb gun violence and reduce recidivism.
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Using a combination of prevention and intervention, Our probation officers work to restore an individual's connection with their community and peers and help them change their behavior creating a pathway out of the criminal justice system.
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In accordance with these goals, we are focusing our resources on the people and communities where they need it the most.
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This philosophy is encompassed through the neighborhood opportunity, network neon, a unique and trusted place based approach that provides a range of services to high concentrations of people on probation and other community members in the 7 New York City neighborhoods historically impacted by the justice system.
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The South Bronx, Harlem, Jamaica, bedside, Brownsville, East New York, and Northern Staten Island.
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Over 30% of our clients come from these 7 neighborhoods alone.
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Since its inception, the Neon model has a had a tremendous success in terms of impactful engagement, and providing services to local community in partnership with the New York City gun violence prevention task force and the New York City Human Resource Administration.
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The Department of Probation is launching Neon Expansion, an initiative to increase access to governmental benefits and provide more effective support In addition, Neon Expansion will focus on creating employment opportunities as well.
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Our Juvenile alternative to placement programs, echoes and aim, actively monitor youth through regular home visits and wellness checks with parents and guardians.
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They diligently work one on one with you to underscore the detrimental effects of gun violence on on persons, families and communities.
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This is in addition to the many other programs that hold balanced prevention groups and discussions for our city use youth.
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Internally, DOP has also initiated a specialized gun branch with the Department of Probation Adult Operations to combat gun violence.
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This branch is made up of 58 probation officers and 10 supervising probation officers who specifically supervise individuals sentenced to probation with a gun charge.
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This process will allow our officers to create strong engagement through dialogue and trust and identify the needs of these particular individuals, which in turn will reduce further gun violence.
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And help shift their path toward a law abiding future.
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We are also relying heavily on the work of our intelligence division.
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To gig guns off our streets and out of our communities.
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Over the past year, Intel conducted 10,918 field visits and 2089 enforcement actions.
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This has been a 30% increase from the 7955 field visits and 1463 enforcement actions in calendar year 2022.
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These enforcement actions including gang related investigations, failure to report home visits, and benchmark enforcement actions, and transporting prisoners to and from other jurisdictions.
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Our intelligence division does great work, and we discovered over the last year.
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That over 20,000 individuals have an active warrant for a violation of probation.
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In effort to locate these individuals, our intelligence division partnered with the NYPD and their ability to use their domain awareness computer system to conduct warrant enforcement and to return these individuals to court.
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Moreover, enforcement actions often result in the recovery of numerous firearms, drugs, and other contraband.
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In calendar year 2023, Intel recovered 24 firearms while conducting field visits, also an increase from calendar year 22, where they recovered 20 firearms.
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Some of the most common reasons for recidivism include a lack of employment or economic opportunity.
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This is why DOP is offering new programs for individuals to obtain their commercial driver's license within our Neon location.
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This program offers an opportunity for clients and their community to obtain a license in order to seek permanent employment.
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We are also looking into introducing entrepreneurial programs such as nutrition and barber certifications in the near future.
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These programs will benefit all of our clients, especially our undocumented clients who are unable to participate in the current employment programs.
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In an effort to assist clients in finding employment, we have also partnered with the Department of Transportation to hire justice involved individuals to work at DOT sites to assist in managing vehicular, bicycle, or pedestrian traffic.
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While appreciative of the assistant's 3rd party's offer to engage our clients in employment, DOP is becoming more proactive in establishing economic opportunities for individuals before the completion of their probation sentence.
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In the same spirit, DOP will be requiring clients to participate in an exit interview a few months prior to leaving probation supervision to ensure each individual has established their basic fundamental needs such as employment, housing, education, proof of identification, the ability to obtain food, access, to formal banking and access to proper clothing and furniture needs.
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Lastly, I would like to touch on one of the most vulnerable populations within our city, individuals who are homeless.
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Our probation officers are dedicated to working with individuals to overcome barriers and seek permanent housing.
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However, we recognize a gap in services and have engaged in constructive conversation with organizations and agencies such as DHS, Covenant House, and NYCD to explore options available to individuals who are homeless or living in shelters.
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We look forward to sharing more information about additional programs and benefits for our own house population with council once they are more established.
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The work that this department engages in is not only impactful, it is also lifesaving.
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This is attributed to the unwavering commitment of our probation officers to meet the needs of our clients and their families.
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Our overall our work, however, is far from done and there is more that each member of this agency can do to assist some of the fellow New Yorkers and improve the quality of the services provided.
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We look forward to working with counsel on the path towards increasing the effectiveness and efficiencies of probation and in turn, improving public safety and reducing recidivism.
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Thank you for the opportunities testified this morning, and I will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.