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Common Pleas Court offers extra services to certain probationers
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: March 5, 2021
New services are now available to some Summit County Common Pleas Court Intervention in Lieu of Conviction participants to help them explore and secure more meaningful employment once they complete the program.
It’s all part of a recent collaboration between the Summit County Court of Common Pleas Adult Probation Department and Future Plans, which utilizes technology to assist individuals in making informed decisions about their careers.
“We want our ILC participants to have help in starting on their determined career pathway, where they can have an increased sense of purpose in this area of their lives and success in staying out of the criminal justice system,” Administrative Judge Amy Corrigall Jones said in a press release.
Under Ohio’s expanded Intervention in Lieu of Conviction statute, certain offenders are able to avoid a felony conviction by receiving treatment and/or assistance aimed at addressing underlying issues such as substance use that contributed to their involvement in the criminal behavior.
Kerri Defibaugh, director of offender services in the Adult Probation Department said the Intervention in Lieu of Conviction program generally lasts 12 months, with those who successfully complete the terms and conditions having their charges dismissed and in many cases sealed.
While there are many services available to participants, Defibaugh said court officials believed there was a critical gap in assistance when it came to post-program graduation employment.
“Many of the participants have jobs that involve repetitive tasks, with no clear pathway to advance,” said Defibaugh.
“This is an opportunity for us to coach and teach individuals and help them be successful,” said Judge Corrigall Jones, who presides over the Summit County Valor Court and SCORR (Summit County Offender Recidivism Reduction) program.
“As judges, we see barriers to success, not only while on probation, but also after, and gainful employment is key,” Summit County Common Pleas Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands said in a press release. “When people are employed in work that is meaningful to them, they have hope. Hope for growth, increased income, healthcare, retirement, stability--it is invaluable to success and a key ingredient to staying out of the criminal justice system.”
It was Judge Rowlands who made Judge Corrigall Jones aware of Future Plans after learning about its services from Partnership Development Director Julie Jones.
Judge Rowlands, who presides over a Reentry Court specialized docket, serves on the board of the nonprofit Gay Community Endowment Fund with Jones.
During a conversation, Jones brought up her work at Future Plans and Judge Rowlands saw the potential to help Intervention in Lieu of Conviction participants.
“We met with the Future Plans team,” Judge Corrigall Jones said in a press release. “Let me say, the program they described is something not currently available to probationers in Summit County and we are excited to offer this to our ILC participants.”
Those who participate in the Future Plans program take an online assessment and create a career plan, receiving the training and coaching necessary to make their employment goals a reality.
Jones said the assessment employs an algorithm to measure aptitude, work values, interest and personality, using the data to match an individual with 50 in-demand jobs that are updated through the Department of Labor on a regular basis.
“Many times, the person learns about new ways in which to use his/her existing skills,” said Jones. “In some cases, individuals may be interested in positions for which they are not yet qualified. In those cases, we help them to put together a plan to obtain the degree or certification that they might need.
“We also require everyone to take up to five essential professional skills courses that we offer, including management, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and what we call thinking on our feet, which is really critical thinking,” said Jones. “These are skills that research group polls show employers want to see in their employees.”
Jones said the Future Plans platform also allows participants to search a particular career, learn about what an employee does on a daily basis, the median wage associated with the job and the projected need in the industry over the next decade.
“If a particular degree is required for a position, an applicant can learn which schools offer the specific program and the financial aid options that are available,” Jones said. “They can also search for current openings in specific counties and regions of the country for both in-person and remote work and apply for a position using our platform.”
While the platform was initially designed to assist high school students, Jones said it has been enhanced to offer services to clients in a variety of age groups.
In addition to this new initiative, Future Plans is working with partners in Adams, Brown, Portage, Cuyahoga, Highland, Lawrence, Lucas, Jackson, Scioto, Summit and Washington counties.
“We went into Lordstown after GM closed its assembly plant and were able to help people there find whole new careers,” said Jones.
For now, the goal is to provide services to 80 participants in 2021 and expand to a larger group the following year.
“The big picture is to grow over time and develop positive relationships with employment providers who can offer meaningful jobs to participants, helping them to avoid future involvement in the criminal justice system,” said Defibaugh.
“We are excited about the partnership,” said Jones. “I had also collaborated with Judge Rowlands and Judge Amy Corrigall Jones when I was the head softball coach at The University of Akron. I had the judges speak with my team about being successful women and the consequences of bad behavior. They were mentors and sounding boards for the kids, who were able to watch their proceedings in court.
“I was very impressed with the efforts the judges made for my former athletes and the work they do with their specialized dockets,” said Jones. “I am hopeful our latest endeavor will be a long-term partnership.”