SPECIALIZED PROJECTS
Shared Services: ATI for Defendants and Offenders with Mental Illness - According to a report to Congress in 2000, 25% to 50% of all mentally ill Americans will at some point in their lives become entangled in the criminal justice system. If not identified, diagnosed and treated, those offenders having a mental illness continue to be re-arrested. OPCA has partnered with state and local agencies to develop and fund specialized programs for those individuals involved in the criminal justice system who have serious and persistent mental illnesses.
Sex Offender Address Confirmation Project - Probation is the most frequently used disposition for defendants convicted of sex offenses in New York State. There are approximately 3500 sex offenders under probation supervision.
Probation Domestic Violence - In support of policies promoting a coordinated criminal justice response to domestic violence, OPCA has a highly involved statewide network of Probation Domestic Violence Liaisons (PDVLs) from each county probation department.
Governor's Traffic Safety Committee - Repeat DWI Offender Training for Officers - Currently probation departments in New York State are supervising nearly 23,000 repeat DWI offenders. Recent law has been enacted which lowered the BAC threshold to .08%. With funds provided by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee - OPCA provides updated training for probation officers in the supervision of repeat DWI offenders. (Read more about specific training for probation officers and probationers.)
Probation's Role in the collection of DNA samples is vital to New York's crime fighting and solving strategies - OPCA works with probation departments to ensure that each department has a policy in place that requires officers to identify cases that require DNA sample collection and to collect samples within 30 days of the probation officer's 1st meeting with the probationer. Samples are collected using the Bucchal Swab. (more information on New York State's DNA Databank)
Pathways to Employment - The New York State Department of Labor (DOL) and the Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives (OPCA) are partners in a new initiative directed at providing tools for unemployed probationers in order to secure gainful employment.