ABOUT FRANKLIN COUNTY MUNICIPAL COURT
The Franklin County Municipal Court is the largest and busiest municipal court in the State of Ohio. The Court has fourteen judges in the General Division and one judge in the Environmental Division. Judges preside over civil, criminal, and traffic cases and conduct both jury and court trials. The Court’s jurisdiction includes traffic cases, misdemeanor criminal cases, and civil cases where the amount at issue is $15,000 or less. The Environmental Division has exclusive jurisdiction to enforce local codes and regulations affecting real property, such as fire and building codes. The geographic jurisdiction of the Court is all of Franklin County and those portions of the City of Columbus that extend beyond the boundaries of Franklin County. Despite its jurisdiction and name, the Franklin County Municipal Court is the judicial branch of the City of Columbus government.
JOB PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW
The Pretrial and Probation Services Department consists of approximately 120 employees. The mission of Pretrial Services is to promote community safety and pretrial success through research-informed recommendations and supervision services that maximize court appearance, remove barriers to fair and efficient justice, and promote harm reduction. The mission of Probation Services is to promote community safety by reducing recidivism, changing offender behavior, and fostering accountability through the effective use of evidence-based practices. Department functions include pretrial, investigation, and supervision services. Supervision structures are determined by risk and need and include all types of cases referred by the Court's judges. The staff operates specialized caseloads, including domestic violence, sexual offenses, soliciting, mental health, work release, and electronic monitoring. The probation staff strives to stay current and relevant with the ongoing goal of being an evidence-based organization.
The Electronic Monitoring Pretrial Officer is under the general direction of the Chief Probation Officer and the immediate direction of a Probation Officer Supervisor. An Electronic Monitoring Pretrial Officer’s primary responsibilities are to screen, interview, and assess individuals for eligibility for the electronic monitoring program: GPS and/or SCRAM alcohol monitoring systems, as well as assist with the enrollment, installation, and compliance monitoring of individuals placed in the program. This includes supervising and managing the defendant’s case plan and/or compliance with other court orders and required programming to promote public safety and reduce recidivism. An Electronic Monitoring Pretrial Officer assists in the communication of a defendant’s supervision compliance with the assigned judge and collaborates with justice partners and community providers.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Promote, model, and abide by the Vision, Mission, policies, and procedures of the Probation Department.
- Assist in covering court hearings for Electronic Monitoring Home Confinement (EMHC) and/or SCRAM alcohol monitoring arraignments/intake/assignment and violation hearings.
- Assist in going to the jail for purposes of EMHC and/or SCRAM installations.
- Assist in the installation of EMHC and/or SCRAM equipment on program participants.
- Assist in monitoring defendants after hours and weekends for violations.
- Administer the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) and other identified assessment tools to ensure appropriate supervision placement, intervention, and programming.
- Supervise and monitor a caseload of active EMHC, SCRAM, and Pretrial program participants.
- Conduct investigations and prepare appropriate judicial correspondence for notice of non-compliance, statements of violation, and other reports to assist judges in the determination of appropriate responses, sentences, or release conditions.
- Document defendant activities and achievements in the case management system to gauge the status of/progress on case plan goals and activities.
- Assist in the management and triage of case-related information, such as letters, emails, and voicemail messages to ensure timely and appropriate attention.
- Assist in the coordination of the defendants’ specialized programming.
- Participate in activities that enhance Department and Court goals and initiatives.
- Attend all EMHC and/or SCRAM unit and Department staff meetings as required.
- Assist with Department, Court, and EMHC and/or SCRAM Program data collection needs.
- Actively participate in required training and professional development opportunities around evidence-based practices in community corrections and behavioral health issues, per department standards and as deemed appropriate.
- Maintain accurate, current, and thorough documentation and records.
- Maintain confidentiality of department information.
- Attend conferences, seminars, and workshops to stay up to date on progressive techniques in probation supervision and to remain current with department initiatives and programs.
- Maintain professional conduct and attire.
- Operates a variety of modern office hardware and software.
- Maintains effective working relationships with judicial officers, court staff, and justice partners engaged in the provision of services to Court users.
- Performs other related duties as assigned and may fulfill roles of other positions in other departments of the Court as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with core coursework in areas related to criminal justice, criminology, corrections, psychology, or a closely related field.
- One (1) year of experience relating to probation, pretrial, parole, or the community supervision of defendants.
- One (1) year of experience supervising defendants on Electronic Monitoring/GPS devices and/or SCRAM alcohol monitoring.
- Demonstrate leadership skills, including effective use of the principles of influence and motivation, and knowledge of organizational behavior and team-building techniques.
- Law Enforcement Automated Data Systems (LEADS) is certifiable, and the ability to pass tests required to become certified to use LEADS, National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCII), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Interstate Identification Information Systems (III) computer information systems.
- Willingness and ability to be trained and maintain certification in the Department’s Field Safety Training Program, including but not limited to defensive tactics, verbal de-escalation techniques, and first aid/CPR, to engage with defendants in the community.
- Possess a demonstrated strong work ethic.
- Possess a pleasant personality, ability to deal with potentially difficult people, and ability to interact and maintain effective working relationships with judges, employees, attorneys, litigants, law-enforcement officers, and others conducting business with the Court.
- Ability to problem-solve and resolve office problems.
- Ability to communicate verbally effectively and professionally and in writing in English to diverse audiences.
- Ability to receive feedback, willingness to learn, and embrace continuous improvement.
- Ability to engage productively and sensitively with persons of varying cultures and diversity.
- Ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership, and to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to resolve problems.
- Willingness to work with justice-involved populations.
- Conscious of and sensitive to the diversity within the Court’s jurisdiction and ability to interact professionally with this diverse population of people from many different geographic, socioeconomic, religious, racial, and ethnic backgrounds regularly.
- Excellent time-management skills, ability to prioritize work, ability to work independently, and ability to work under time constraints.
- Monitor and/or collect urine specimens from defendants.
- Efficient and effective case- and time-management skills, and multi-tasking.
- Maintain a valid Ohio driver’s license.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Three (3) years of experience relating to probation, pretrial, parole, or the community supervision of defendants.
- Three (3) years of experience supervising defendants on Electronic Monitoring/GPS devices and/or SCRAM alcohol monitoring.
- Current certification of the Ohio Risk Assessment System (ORAS) instrument.
- Successful completion of the state’s probation officer certification standard.
BENEFITS
The Franklin County Municipal Court offers an excellent benefits package that includes medical, prescription, vision, dental, and life insurance; short-term disability; generous vacation, sick, and personal leave; 11 paid holidays; longevity service payments; sick-leave reciprocity; employee assistance and deferred-compensation programs; tuition reimbursement; and credit-union membership.
Court employees are members of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, which provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for public employees. The Court pays the required employer 14 percent of the employee’s salary. Court employees do not have Social Security taxes withheld from their paychecks because they are members of OPERS.
COURT EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEE
In completing the duties and responsibilities of the position, the Court expects the employee to adhere to all Court policies, guidelines, practices, and procedures; act as a role model both inside and outside the Court; perform duties as workload necessitates in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner; be conscientious about meeting department productivity standards; and communicate regularly with the supervisor about department issues.
AT-WILL EMPLOYMENT
Employees of the Court are at-will employees and serve at the pleasure of the Court; they are not in the classified civil service system and are not members of bargaining units.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
The Court is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religion, race, color, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, military status, or genetic information.
