The Somerville District Court Probation Department and the Massachusetts Probation Service will join Probation, Parole, and Community Supervision agencies from across the nation and Canada in observing Probation, Parole, and Community Supervision Week from July 17 to 23. The agency celebrates its 170th anniversary, along with its unique status as the first Probation agency in the nation, with the theme “Building New Pathways to Enhance Public Safety.”

Under the leadership of Acting Probation Commissioner Ronald Corbett, Massachusetts Probation the agency is using this milestone to reinvigorate community partnerships at the state and local levels.

“The committed men and women of the Massachusetts Probation Service collaborate every day with a wide range of rehabilitative and public safety agencies statewide,” said Corbett. “The agency’s long heritage of innovation continually inspires Probation staff to improve practices and identify new programs that assist local communities in addressing criminal justice and public safety issues in these challenging times.”

On any night of the week, The Somerville District Court Probation Department Court Probation Officers can be found in the community checking on offenders in their homes, enforcing court orders, and ultimately holding offenders accountable. In the Medford and Somerville jurisdiction, 913 offenders are on probation and are being supervised by 11 Probation Officers.

The Somerville District Court Probation Officers are co-facilitating Alcohol, Drug and Anger Management Programs in our community Monday thru Thursday evenings. These Programs are among the many Probation-established programs/initiatives available to offenders.

Across the Commonwealth, there are nearly 90,000 offenders on probation. They are supervised by 848 line Probation Officers in more than 100 courts across the state. In addition, at the state’s 21 Community Corrections Centers offenders can earn their GED’s, participate in job training, and receive drug and alcohol counseling.

In addition to resources provided by the courts, Probation Officers have created programs to promote law-abiding behavior among offenders. Parenting Programs, such as the Fatherhood and Mothers Programs, which teach offenders good parenting skills; Changing Lives through Literature, which introduces offenders to literature and poetry; and Drug Courts are only a few examples of initiatives designed and implemented by Probation Officers, based on the needs of offenders and local communities.

Probationers, ordered to do community service in lieu of court costs, performed more than 400,000 hours over the past year. Offenders across the state work at food pantries where they have helped distribute healthy food to struggling families. Probationers played a pivotal role in the clean-up of the aftermath of a devastating tornado that hit western Massachusetts in June. Offenders have assisted in the construction, remodeling, and painting of non-profit organizations such as churches and synagogues, as well as senior citizen centers.