National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies ...

Pretrial Services Management Team

Deputy Criminal Justice Director

Liza Maldonado

[email protected]

Administrative Services/

Case Management Unit Supervisor

Amy Kinsey

[email protected]

Administrative Assistant/

Clerical Supervisor

Yazmin Rivera

[email protected]

Intake & Investigation Unit Supervisors

Elizabeth Khin & Nicholas Stevens

[email protected]

[email protected]

Supervision Unit Supervisor

Ervin Gill

[email protected]

Lee County Pretrial Services is located on the third

floor of the Justice Center at:

1700 Monroe Street

Fort Myers, FL 33901

Main Office Line- (239) 533-8400

Fax- (239) 485-2733

Intake & Investigation Unit- (239) 477-1584

For more information on court programs within the

20th Judicial Circuit, please visit our website at

www.ca.cjis20.org

National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies

(NAPSA )

Code of Ethics

•Assist the criminal justice system in its dealings with

pretrial defendants to the best of my ability and

conduct myself as a professional at all times;

•Respect the dignity of the individual, be they

defendants, victims, or fellow criminal justice

professionals;

•Respect the dignity and integrity of the court;

•Respect the presumption of innocence of all

defendants, until proven guilty beyond a reasonable

doubt, and uphold the fundamental right of every

accused person who has been arrested and is facing

prosecution under the U.S. criminal justice system;

•Pledge that the information I provide to the court and

the decisions I make are as accurate and objective as

possible;

•Treat all people equally regardless of race, national

origin, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or

religion;

•Protect the confidentiality of all information

obtained, except when necessary to prevent serious,

foreseeable, and/or imminent harm to a defendant or

other identifiable person (s);

•Avoid impropriety or the appearance of impropriety;

•Avoid any conflicts of interest and will not evaluate,

supervise and/or provide services to anyone I have an

existing relationship with, nor enter into a personal or

business relationship with anyone I evaluate,

supervise or provide services to;

•Continue to pursue my own professional

development and education to further my expertise in

the field;

•Promote the growth of pretrial services, as well as

encourage and cooperate with research and

development in advancing the field;

•Respect and promote the fundamental principles and

professional standards which guide pretrial services

and will implement these best practices to the extent I

am able;

•Refrain from providing legal advice to any pretrial

defendants; and lastly,

• Promise to conduct myself as an individual of good

character who will act in good faith in making

reliable, ethical judgments.

The Intake and Investigation Unit is a twenty-four

hour, seven-day a week operation, working around

the clock to interview defendants booked into the

Lee County Jail. The primary functions of the

Intake and Investigation Unit include the collection,

verification and investigation of demographic and

criminal history information, the assessment of risk

and need for every booked defendant, the

determination of indigence for interim appointment

of counsel and the presentation of this compiled

information to the First Appearance Judge to aid in

the release decision. The department additionally

implemented a Risk Instrument, validated through

the Pretrial Justice Institute, to determine level of

risk for each pretrial defendant. Pretrial officers

also continuously review all non-sentenced

incarcerated defendants prior to arraignment so that

appropriate, non-violent misdemeanor cases are

placed on a Jail Management Docket for potential

release from custody or early resolution of the case.

The Supervision Unit supervises all defendants

released on pretrial supervision and who enter

misdemeanor diversion. Pretrial officers assigned

to the pretrial supervision team monitor these cases

from arrest to disposition to promote public safety

and increase successful court appearance and

compliance with court ordered conditions.

Conditions such as no contact orders and random

drug and alcohol screens are enforced. Defendants

may be referred to diversionary programs and

external agencies when appropriate. Violations are

reported to the courts and court dates are confirmed

with defendants in an effort to decrease failure to

appear rates. Pretrial officers assigned to the

misdemeanor diversion team meet with defendants

to review Deferred Prosecution Agreements and

explain conditions and consequences of success or

failure, after ensuring eligibility for the program.

Cases are monitored continuously, encouraging

success through Administrative Review Hearings,

reminder letters and utilizing a community service

option in lieu of costs of supervision when

appropriate. If successful, the State Attorney’s

Office dismisses the case and discontinues further

court proceedings.

Differentiated Case Management practices were

developed in Lee County in January of 2008.

Procedures were established to improve predictability,

efficiency and timely disposition of felony criminal

cases in accordance with Florida Rules of Criminal

Procedure.

The Case Management Unit monitors and tracks all

cases at each stage as they move through the judicial

system. The primary functions of the Case

Management Unit are to facilitate early identification

and processing of diversion referrals and facilitate on-

time disposition of cases. Pretrial officers are assigned

to specific divisions and attend felony arraignments,

case management and pretrial conferences and trial calls

to facilitate court scheduling in accordance with time

goals. Status reports are provided to assigned judges for

each criminal division. Pretrial officers track and report

statistical data, including age pending and case

clearance reports, to measure success since

implementation of Differentiated Case Management.

Pretrial officers also research cases beyond time goals

to identify reasons for delay and assist where possible.

The pretrial officer assigned to the Felony Drug Court

Program attends staffing and court weekly to discuss

defendants’ progress, current treatment status and

recommendations to the court. The pretrial officer

tracks court outcomes and provides pertinent

information to the teams, such as custody or warrant

status and previous court outcomes, including prior

sanctions and rewards. Statistical data is also captured

and compiled to continuously monitor and improve

program goals and objectives.

Pretrial Services support staff perform crucial functions

to support each unit, including screening for indigence

after First Appearance, preparation of court orders and

files, tracking court outcomes and statistics, preparing

court date reminders for defendants released on

recognizance and tracking appearance compliance and

assisting the public at the front counter and via the call

center.

The Lee County Pretrial Services Department

originated in 1988 under the Administrative Office

of the Courts, 20th Judicial Circuit, providing case

management support to the 13 judges assigned to

the criminal division in Lee County, along with the

Chief Judge and Administrative Circuit Judge.

The mission of the Lee County Pretrial Services

Department is to provide comprehensive case

management services to the courts, from case

inception through case closure, via professional staff

committed to the highest standards of excellence.

The vision of the Lee County Pretrial Services

Department is to be a leader within the court system

by developing an empowered workforce that

embodies integrity, excellence, and accountability,

delivering the highest quality of services.

The Lee County Pretrial Services Department

earned accreditation in 2009 through the Florida

Corrections Accreditation Commission.

Accreditation has long been a means of maintaining

the highest standards of professionalism, increasing

the integrity of the criminal justice process and the

agency’s role. Accreditation allows for independent

verification of business practices, increasing agency

accountability while ensuring the agency is utilizing

best practices resulting in the most efficient and

effective operations.

The department is comprised of the Intake and

Investigation Unit, the Supervision Unit and the

Case Management Unit. Each unit has their own

core functions, but work collaboratively to achieve

common goals. The management team includes the

deputy criminal justice director who oversees the

entire department operations, the administrative

services supervisor who oversees program

development, training and accreditation, as well as

oversees the Case Management Unit, a pretrial

supervisor who oversees the Supervision Unit, two

pretrial supervisors who oversee the Intake and

Investigation Unit and an administrative assistant

who provides direct managerial support and

supervises clerical staff.