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High-Risk Probationers and Problem-Solving/Accountability Courts
SESSION INFO
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Session Type: Workshop
Problem solving/accountability courts (ACs) aim to interrupt the cycle of arrest and conviction for individuals with persistent drug and mental health problems that lead to criminal activity. A state probation agency implemented a Swift, Certain, and Fair sanctions pilot project to expand the use of ACs as an alternative to revocation to address probation violations likely to lead to revocation. Probation partnered with mental health and drug courts in four judicial circuits. The plan called for ACs to expand criteria and consider higher risk probationers for assessment and intake, thus diverting individuals from prison and increasing AC capacity. This session: 1) leads attendees through the project evaluation - policies, training, referral, supervision, outcomes – to final recommendations and conclusions about the pilot; then 2) assigns session attendees in small groups to consider management and policy issues that often arise with interagency collaborations.
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SESSION PRESENTERS
John Prevost, PhD
Retired,
John P. Prevost retired in 2011 after 32 years with the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. His career included working in and managing field offices; developing and delivering training; managing programs; implementing a data-driven computerized case management system and on-line portal to generate supervision reports; developing risk assessment instruments; and strategic planning. His recent work involves evaluating accountability courts and studying the effects of peer mentoring on desistance from crime. He earned his Ph.D. from Georgia State University.
William J Sabol
Professor, Georgia State University
William J. Sabol serves as a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology at Georgia State University, where teaches and researches issues in corrections, sentencing policy, and crime statistics. He designs and implements evaluations of public policies in several domains including prisoner reentry, sentencing policy’s impacts on the composition of corrections populations, the role of incentives on criminal justice system outcomes, and child welfare reforms. During his career, he has held positions in government, private sector research institutions, and universities, including serving as the presidentially appointed Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and was a Fulbright Scholar at Cambridge University’s Institute of Criminology.
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