Mission Statement
The Cayuga County Probation Department's mission statement is to provide pre-sentence and pre-dispositional investigations and reports to aid all the courts in Cayuga County in sentencing; supervise persons sentenced to or placed on probation while attempting to protect the public and rehabilitate the offender; and provide intake services for family court.
The department shall accomplish the above in an efficient, cost effective and quality manner with all legal and constitutional requirements and consistent with the rules and regulations of the New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives.
Mandated Services
The Probation Department provides a multitude of state mandated services. Pursuant to the NYS Executive Law Art 12-A Sec 256, each county "shall maintain a probation agency to perform probation services therein, including intake, investigation, pre-sentence reports, supervision, conciliation, social treatment, and such other functions as are assigned to probation agencies pursuant to law."
The functions of intake, investigation, and supervision are performed under the oversight of the New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. These functions are reimbursed by New York State at a legislatively mandated percentage of specific approved expenses. Cayuga County is estimated to receive in the year 2006 approximately $140,000 in State Aid, at an initially figured rate of approximately 20%. In addition, it is projected that an additional $25,500 in revenue will be received; $6,000 in designated surcharges for the collection of restitution, $3000 from a percentage of DWI fines returned to the county, and $6,500 in electronic homebound monitoring fees. The STOP DWI Program contributes $10,000 towards operating the probation office as Driving While Intoxicated is the largest single caseload crime on probation. The Cayuga County Probation Department's budget for 2006 is $845,713.
Probation Officers and other staff work from one office located on the third floor of the annex of the Cayuga County Court House and conduct extensive fieldwork throughout Cayuga County and the City of Auburn. All probation officers are trained to provide all mandated services to the courts. Probation Officers are peace officers pursuant to New York State Law.
Client and Service Summary
The probation officers of Cayuga County performed in 2005 almost 600 pre-sentence and pre-dispositional investigations and reports for courts to assist judges in rendering dispositions. They supervised on probation over 600 adults and juveniles, providing public safety and rehabilitation. Over 90% of those on probation are adults from criminal courts. The ultimate goal in supervision is to stop the cycle of crime and prevent offenders from becoming serious and violent criminals. However, almost 20% of those on probation in 2005 were returned to court for violating the order and conditions of their Court ordered probation.
The probation department collects and disburses restitution. The Courts order restitution as a condition of probation or of a conditional discharge. In 2005 this department collected and disbursed to victims almost $102,000. The collection fee, called designated surcharge, turned over to the Treasurer of Cayuga County, totaled almost $7,500 in 2005.
Over 400 individuals in 2005 were referred to the Probation Department for intake services under the Family Court Laws of support, family offense, juvenile delinquency, and persons in need of supervision. They included intake services for 130 Juvenile Delinquents and 208 Persons in Need of Supervision.
In the year 2006 the Cayuga County Probation Department will consist of fourteen employees. There are six probation officer positions, two senior probation officer positions, one probation supervisor position, and the position of director of probation. The support staff consists of a senior typist and three typists.
Updated: 1/6/2009