Juvenile Probation

The Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division (CSSD) administers juvenile probation through the Office of Juvenile Probation Services.

Juvenile probation officers do not carry a firearm. They are classified as peace officers and do have the power to arrest.

There is an internal policy of the Court Support Service Division that prohibits the officers from carrying a firearm.

At the time of the survey, it was not under consideration to allow the officers to carry a firearm.

There are no private companies providing juvenile probation supervision.

Juvenile Parole

In Connecticut, juvenile parole officers, referred to as juvenile service officers, provide case management services to youth throughout their commitment. Case management services are provided when the youths are placed out of the home, as well as, when they return to their own homes, schools and communities. These juvenile aftercare services are under the Department of Children and Families, Bureau of Juvenile Justice, which is in the executive branch of Connecticut’s state government.

These officers do not carry a firearm. They are not classified as peace officers. They have the authority to bring into custody any youth still under a delinquency commitment who violates the conditions of their parole.

There is no policy that prohibits the officers from carrying a firearm. At the time of the survey, carrying a firearm was not under consideration.

The Bureau of Juvenile Justice has contracts with private companies that provide aftercare services to youths on parole, such as employment training, recreation, supervision, and behavioral health.

The Bureau does contract with private providers for Outreach, Tracking and Reunification (OTR) services. These are considered parole supervision.

Adult Probation

The Court Support Services Division (CSSD) Adult Probation under the Judicial Branch is responsible for the delivery of adult services to the court. The agency is committed to supervising and treating offenders according to the risk they pose to public safety, matching the degree or level of supervision and treatment to their level of risk; choosing appropriate targets of evidence-based rehabilitative programming that addresses the clients’ identified “criminogenic need”; and employing styles and modes of treatment interventions that are consistent with the ability and the developmental level of the offender. The agency has initiated intensive training designed to improve the effectiveness of staff interactions with probation clients, provide ongoing evaluation of officer proficiency, and by maximizing officer skill through the use of normative feedback.

Adult Probation Officers are classified as peace officers and do have the power to arrest; however, they do not carry a firearm.

CSSD Adult Probation contracts with a private company for the monitoring and tracking of individuals who are assessed low risk. This has enabled CSSD to concentrate staff resources on high-risk cases. CSSD maintains a staff of probation officers at the private company to ensure quality control and contract compliance.

Adult Parole

In 2004, Public Act 04-234 was passed in the State of Connecticut. The objectives of this Public Act were to maintain the prison population at or under capacity, promote successful re-entry into the community, provide public safety, and support victim rights. This Public Act created a new Board of Pardons and Parole and merged it with the Department of Correction. The Public Act also transferred Parole field supervision from the Board of Pardons and Parole to the Department of Correction.

Parole Officers are not classified as peace officers, however they can detain and remand inmates to custody on Transitional Supervision (authorized release under the authority of the Commissioner of Correction for offenders convicted of a non-violent crime and sentenced to two (2) years or less), supervised offenders in a DOC residential program and Parolees on Parole for technical violations and criminal violations.

All State of Connecticut Parole Officers carry a .40 caliber firearm, which is provided by the state. The Department of Correction maintains record keeping at the accredited Manson Correctional Training and Staff Development site. The training provided meets or exceeds Peace Officer Standard Training. All Parole Officers maintain a level of competence by quarterly firearm training and mandatory annual proficiency testing.

The Department of Correction implemented the Offender Management Plan that provides a progressive, systematic approach for the custody, care, and treatment of each offender in accordance with state statutes and the Department of Correction Mission statement

In addition to many state services, the Department of Correction has five funded Community Residential Providers that provide aftercare services for relapse prevention and employment services.

The vision of the Department of Correction is to prepare an offender for release through an offender management plan individually developed that starts with the first day of incarceration in a facility, through community supervision, and finally community living and beyond.

The Parole and Community Services Division upholds the Department of Correction Mission Statement which clearly states it the responsibility of the agency to “support successful community reintegration.” There are no private companies that provide adult parole supervision.

For updates or corrections to the information on this page, please contact: Diane Kincaid