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Gavel and handcuffs

Probation

Mission Statement

Sullivan County Probation Department takes a proactive approach to law enforcement and treatment strategies in the rehabilitation and monitoring of offenders in the community. A continuum of comprehensive services is used to facilitate the re-socialization of offenders to preserve public safety.

Partnerships and cooperation with other law enforcement agencies are constantly being developed and fostered to better ensure the safety and quality of life for the citizens of Sullivan County.


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For Area Employers

The Sullivan County Probation Department recognizes the importance of sustained employment of individuals under community supervision. Employment provides individuals a means of self-sufficiency and the ability to support their families, as well as the capacity to structure their time in positive ways. Probation also understands the needs of area employers and their ability to ask questions of probation officers about work schedules and other work environment-related issues. Accordingly, the Sullivan County Probation Department has designated a single point of contact or Probation Employment Liaison officer to communicate with area employers.

Please feel free to contact Senior Probation Officer Lisa Rivers-Mota at 845-807-0351 if you are an area employer who has any general questions about probation conditions relating to employment, employment opportunities for individuals on probation, or if you have any other employment-related questions or concerns.


Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI)

In 1987, the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution to create an Alternatives to Incarceration Program, as per NYS legislation to help reduce overcrowding in local jails throughout New York State. Sullivan County’s Alternatives to Incarceration program involves two subdivision programs: Community Service (implemented in 1987) and Pretrial Release (implemented in 1988). The purpose of each program is to reduce the amount of time that eligible defendants spend in the County Jail who are sentenced or awaiting disposition. 

Public safety is the cornerstone of ATI, and only appropriate persons are recommended and released to the program. 

The Community Service program benefits the community by providing a resource to work on various cleanup and beautification projects in our towns and villages.  Defendants may also perform their hours for private not-for-profit agencies as well as religious institutions.  This sanction not only benefits the community, but often gives the defendant a sense of “community” they may not have previously had.

The Pretrial Release program aims to reduce the frequency of unnecessary incarceration in the jail by assessing the defendant’s qualifications for release on his/her own recognizance, based on non-financial conditions. When a defendant is not at risk of absconding and has no holds or warrants, the court may review the recommendation to be released and allow the Pretrial Release program to supervise a defendant while awaiting disposition for their case. 

Every admission in the jail is screened for eligibility (using our point scale based on employment, living situation, roots to the community, risk assessment, past criminal history, mental health and substance abuse history, etc.) and those who meet the guidelines for release are referred to the arraigning judge for review, who makes the final decision. If released, that defendant is monitored until their case is closed. This time frame varies case to case. The longest time amount of time we have supervised a defendant on PTR is two years (and counting). The average time ranges from six to nine months.