City of Philadelphia - File #: 130313

• File #: 130313
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 4/18/2013
• In control: Committee on Public Safety
• Title: Authorizing Council's Committee on Public Safety to investigate and hold public hearings reviewing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole and its practices in Philadelphia, including the assignment, workload and experience of agents; the use of GPS for offender tracking; and the establishment of a workgroup solely focused on Philadelphia.
• Sponsors: Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Goode, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Reynolds Brown

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
2/10/2014	0	Committee on Public Safety	HEARING NOTICES SENT
2/10/2014	0	Committee on Public Safety	Cancellation of Scheduled Public Hearing
6/14/2013	0	Committee on Public Safety	HEARING NOTICES SENT
6/14/2013	0	Committee on Public Safety	HEARING HELD
6/14/2013	0	Committee on Public Safety	RECESSED
5/13/2013	0	Committee on Public Safety	HEARING NOTICES SENT
5/13/2013	0	Committee on Public Safety	RECESSED
4/18/2013	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass
4/18/2013	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED & REFERRED

Title
Authorizing Council's Committee on Public Safety to investigate and hold public hearings reviewing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole and its practices in Philadelphia, including the assignment, workload and experience of agents; the use of GPS for offender tracking; and the establishment of a workgroup solely focused on Philadelphia.

Body
WHEREAS, The defined mission of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (the Board) is to protect the safety of the public, address the needs of crime victims, improve county adult probation and parole services and assist in the fair administration of justice by ensuring the custody, control, and treatment of offenders under the jurisdiction of the Board; and

WHEREAS, The Board has the legal responsibility to parole, recommit for violations of parole, and discharge from parole offenders sentenced to two years or more. The Board also supervises offenders placed on special probation or special parole as requested by the Court of Common Pleas; and

WHEREAS, The Board's goal to protect the safety of the public is accomplished through effective parole decisions and proper supervision and management of offenders who are returning to their communities. Successful reentry of an offender can reduce the likelihood that offenders will victimize anyone else and ultimately return to prison; and

WHEREAS, According the Board's most recent monthly publication, which was released on April 9, 2013, the Philadelphia District had a parole and probation population of 10,490 individuals under the supervision of 130 agents of the Board; and

WHEREAS, The Public Safety Committee held an investigatory hearing on April 12, 2013. The witness list included three retired State Probation and Parole Agents; Michael C. Potteiger, Chairman of the Pennsylvania Parole Board; Charles Hoyt, Deputy Chief Probation Officer, Philadelphia Adult Probation & Parole; and Charles Junod, Assistant Managing Director a...