Updates

October 28, 2021

DCS Board Rule Proposed Changes for Public Comment

All Interested Parties:

MPOU is proposing changes to the current DCS Board Rules to match our operating procedures and to make a few changes that are listed at the top of the attached document.

Anything in the document that is underlined is an addition and anything with a strikethrough we are proposing to delete. Please send comments you may have to Barbara Neville at barbara.neville@dcs.ga.gov by December 7, 2021. We will also be hosting a public comment meeting from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on December 7, 2021 via google meet that you will be invited to attend and comment if you prefer to do so then (link is below)

If you have any questions or concerns please email Ms. Neville directly with any concerns/questions and she will get back with you with clarification.

Again, the proposed changes will be published to the DCS website on October 28, 2021 and a Public Comment Hearing will be held via Google Meet on December 7, 2021.

Here is the link to the Public Comment Hearing:

Public Hearing for Proposed Changes to DCS Board Rules

We will present these proposed changes to the DCS Board on December 16, 2021 after reasonably considering comments that are received by or on December 7,2021.

Listed below is a quick synopsis of the changes.

Proposed 09/2021 -staff and entities/ Proposed DCS Advisory Committee 10/2021

Change to Board Approval Date with new Synopsis

Page numbers updated to reflect new text
105-2-.03 Definitions- clarification to (b), (e), and (j).
105-2-.05-Entity Registration and Approval- (j) added POST statute
105-2-.07 Limitations on who can operate or be Employed by a Probation Entity- (d), (f), (h). added OCGA 19-13-10
105-2-.11 General Probation Responsibilities- (i). Added OCGA 42-8-103.1 statutory reference.
105-2-.12 Training and Individual Development- Objective updated, (a), (a.1), (i), (ii), (b,1), (c,1), (i), (ii), (d,1), (f), (g).
105-2-.13- Probation Entity Reports- (a), (a,1)
105-2--.14 - added #14 to address citizen concern for GA Record Act
105-2-. 15- (a), (b) and added OCGA 17-10-1 to statutory reference

December 2021 proposed changes to DCS Board Rules

August 18,2021

Providers,

Good afternoon! I hope this email finds you all safe, happy, and well!

I want to share some exciting news with you that was just announced within DCS.

I am very excited to announce Tim Lewis' new role as interim director for MPOU!!!

I know he will continue to carry out our mission and continue to keep our processes running smoothly as you are all aware of his proven ability.

I am also excite for my new role, even though, it is bitter sweet since you all have become my family. I am not going too far!

Our roles will be in transition until November 1, 2021 so please reach out to both Tim and I during that time and we will try to keep things going as to not disrupt your duties during this transition.

Please see the formal announcement from our DCS Assistant Commissioner:

I am excited to make the following promotion announcements on the Senior Management Team. You may be aware the Director of Human Resources, Johnny Knatt, has announced his plans to retire this coming November. Johnny is a founding member of team DCS and has been a key contributor to our success. We will certainly miss Johnny and his leadership, but wish him the best in a new chapter of his life!

I am pleased to announce that Barbara Neville has been chosen to serve as Interim Director of Human Resources effective immediately. Barbara is also a founding member of team DCS and is currently the Director of the Misdemeanor Probation Oversight Unit. During her career, Barbara has held various positions with the Department of Corrections, Parole Board, and DCS, including Director of Offender Administration, Hearing Examiner, and Director of the M.O.R.E program. Barbara has a B.A. in Criminal Justice, an M.P.A., Public Administration, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Administration.

Tim Lewis has been selected to serve as the Interim Director of the Misdemeanor Probation Oversight Unit where he has held the position of Training Manager since 2017 when he joined team DCS. Tim has over 30 years of experience in community supervision including working as a caseworker in Fulton County, Probation Officer with the Department of Corrections, and has held various management positions with misdemeanor probation companies. Tim has a B.S. in Psychology.

Thank you for all you do!

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

(404)558-0180

Department of Community Supervision

Probation RFP 2021.docx

Directors meeting

June 29, 2021

Good Morning Providers,

First I would like to thank everyone that was able to attend the Directors Meeting last week. I hope it was informative for you as well as it will help us during our next GBI audit and upcoming projects.

I have attached a recording of the first meeting in order to reach some of the Directors that may not have had the schedule availability to attend to be sure everyone gets the same information.

I have also attached the presentation and the typology information from the GBI.

I am still working on some proposals to the Board Rules and will have those out to you as soon as possible along with the comment form for your feedback.

Again, I want to thank you all for always being the best Misdemeanor Providers!Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions with your individual needs.

Directors meeting presentation link

video recording

Judicial State of Emergency

Here is our legal opinion and the contact information for clarification on the Judicial State of Emergency.

This is from the extension per Justice Melton- To assist in evaluating this plan to reimpose deadlines, comments are solicited from judges, lawyers, and the general public. Comments should be delivered in Word or PDF format by email to JCTFcomments@gasupreme.us.

Here is our Legal Opinion:

Chief Justice Melton's order was issued pursuant to OCGA §38-3-61. That statute permits the Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court to declare the existence of a judicial emergency upon their own motion or upon motion by any interested person. See OCGA §38-3-60(1)(a) and §38-3-61(a). The scope of the Chief Justice's order declaring a judicial emergency is governed by OCGA §38-3-62. Generally, the Chief Justice is "authorized to suspend, toll, extend, or otherwise grant relief from deadlines or other time schedules or filing requirements imposed by otherwise applicable statutes, rules, regulations, or court orders, whether in civil or criminal cases or administrative matters." OCGA 38-3-62 (Emphasis added). More specifically, the statute lists ten distinct deadlines, time schedules or filing requirements that may be suspended, tolled, extended or subject to relief by the emergency order. See OCGA §38-3-62(1) - (10). Noticeably absent from this list is any express grant of authority to suspend, toll or extend felony or misdemeanor criminal sentences that have been imposed pursuant to court orders. Without such an express grant of authority one must be necessarily implied from the express authority that is granted by the statute in order to be legally valid. See Bentley v. State Bd. of Medical Examiners of GA, 152 Ga. 836, 111 S.E. 379 (1922).

The authority to suspend, toll or extend felony or misdemeanor criminal sentences that have been imposed pursuant to court orders cannot be necessarily implied from the express authority granted by OCGA §38-3-62. In order for a power to be necessarily implied it must be reasonably necessary to execute the express powers that are actually conferred. See Bentley at 152 Ga. 836, 837, 111 S.E. 379, 381 (1922). That is not the case regarding the ten specific deadlines, time schedules or filing requirements that may be suspended, tolled, extended or subject to relief by the emergency order under §OCGA §38-3-62(1)-(10). All of those deadlines, time schedules and filing requirements relate to processes or procedural requirements related to the initiation of legal proceedings and/or responses and filings within current cases. The suspension, tolling, or extension of probation sentences is not necessary for courts to suspend, toll or extend the processes and proceedings that are specifically listed in the statute establishing the scope of judicial emergency orders.

Supporting the foregoing conclusion is the language contained in OCGA §38-3-62(11). This provision allows for the suspension, tolling, or extension of "[s]uch other legal proceedings as determined to be necessary by the authorized judicial official." (Emphasis added) This language clearly indicates that the scope of emergency judicial orders is limited to matters that require action by the court or participants in the litigation. In the case of probation sentences, court proceedings have come to an end in regard to the running of the sentence unless and until the supererving entity or the court itself determines there is a need for the court to enter an order revoking or tolling the sentence or to alter the terms and conditions of the probation sentence pursuant to applicable statutes governing those proceedings. In those instances, the provisions of the emergency order may be invoked on any time limits that govern such proceedings.

- NOTICE: Supreme Court Reinstates Filing Deadlines in its Cases (Click Here)
- ANNOUNCEMENT: The Chief Justice has extended the Statewide Judicial Emergency Order until Tuesday, March 9, 2021.
  - - (Original Order; First Extension Order; Second Extension Order; Third Extension Order; Fourth Extension Order; Fifth Extension Order; Sixth Extension Order; Seventh Extension Order; Eighth Extension Order; Ninth Extension Order; Order Modifying Ninth Extension Order; Tenth Extension Order; Eleventh Extension Order)

March 24, 2021 MPOU updates

Providers,

I hope you are all staying safe and healthy!! I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, and hope you are all also!

I have a few updates I want to share with you all but first I want to thank you for all you do. I also want to thank you for the questions and the responses to the GBI questionnaire that was sent out. Thank you to those of you that reached out to assist us in getting clarification. As you can see, the requirements from the GBI are not in our wheelhouse.. LOL I do appreciate the responses and we will be reaching out to you individually to get the specifics nailed down but at least now we have a starting point for the year. If you have not had a chance to complete the form for us, here is the link:

GBI Requirement Questions

The quarterly reports are coming due on April 15th, so just a friendly reminder to have those submitted as close to the due date as possible. My normal business process is to give you all until April 22nd to have those completed but if it will be after that date please give me a heads up so I can extend it for you.

Thank you all for attending the training so far this year! We have a great schedule with some new materials that I think you will all enjoy. Thank you to Tim Lewis for his hard work on this and also thank you to the MPOU team for all they do on a daily basis. Please take a moment to show your gratitude for making the changes and allowing for communication so we can "all be in this together!"

I can't thank you all enough as providers, your hard work and dedication to the process is undeniable and it shows through your compliance and cooperation! This does not go unnoticed!

Finally, one note on a situation that I had come to my attention and I want to be sure we are all on the same page. We had a victim of domestic violence report a violation to a PO which ended up in a revocation of the offender's probation. The concern was that the PO advised the probationer that the victim was the person that turned him in. This has resulted in further victimization and death threats based on this information. Please be cognizant of these types of issues and know that the PO does not have a duty to tell probationers where information that results in a revocation comes from especially when it comes from a victim of domestic violence. Please review your internal procedure for handling confidential informants and victims of domestic violence in your office with your staff.

Thank you again to everyone and I hope to see you all very soon in person!

Stay safe!

IBarbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

March 2021 MPOU Updates

Providers,

I hope this email finds you well, safe, and healthy. I wanted to reach out to you just to give you a quick "hello" and to let you know how much we at MPOU appreciate you as we get ready to move into a new month.

It has been a successful year so far with the registration process and the 4th quarter reports. I also appreciate the providers, again, that were eligible for waiver this year. Keep up the GREAT work!!

During this year, we will be working on a few GBI requirements and will be reaching out to you in the next few months. We will try to keep this to a minimum and make this as simple as possible on your end as to not disrupt your core mission.

As we move into this year's compliance schedule, please remember that we are here to assist in any way we can in order for you to be successful. Our mission is to find areas that need to be addressed and work with you to correct them. We are here to answer any questions you may have. Thank you to our team of Compliance Monitors and their hard work and dedication to the process and to Aura for her assistance with keeping us all up to date on requirements.

Also,thank you to Tim Lewis for all his hard work in keeping our training up to date and applicable as we move into another year.

Finally, Thank YOU for your compassion and dedication. You are what makes the Misdemeanor Industry a success!!!

Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you need anything.

Have a great month!

FEB 2021 MPOU updates

Providers,

I hope your February is off to a good start. I want to start by thanking everyone for their attention in completing our 2021 registration requirements and for the 4th QTR report submissions. We appreciate your attention to these matters. Also, I want to congratulate all the providers that received a waiver for this year. We appreciate all your hard work and it does not go unnoticed. We are happy to say that we had almost the same number of providers waived this year as last year. Since waivers are not for consecutive years, this means we have a large number of providers in compliance!!! Great work by all! Special congratulations to those who were waived last year and the new providers waived this year. Again, waivers cannot be granted for providers for consecutive years but that does not take away the appreciation that we have for those who qualify.

Finally, I wanted to send out a few reminders as we are beginning this new year.

First, please be reminded that any and all changes to staff positions, locations, contact information must be maintained by MPOU. Any changes should be reported to MPOU as soon as possible. We have found a number of employees that are no longer employed still on active staff listings or staff that have been moved to another entity and we were not notified. Since we have to track all of this manually, this creates additional work for us, especially Ms. Aura and Mr. Lewis, if they are tracking due dates, training, etc. and the employee status has changed. Please just send us an email or goto our website to report any changes.

Finally,

Please let me know personally as soon as you are aware of any news, social media posts, or communication that is out about Misdemeanor Probation. This allows for us to spotlight positive news and show how amazing this industry is. It also allows for DCS public affairs to be on the lookout for anything that may be coming our way in reference to the Misdemeanor Industry. If in doubt, let me know. I know we are all transparent with one another so let's keep those lines of communication open as I will be sure to do the same.

Have a great week and stay safe and healthy. If you need anything, please let us know.

2021 Provider Registration

December 2020

Good Morning Providers,

Just a friendly reminder to complete the below 2020 Provider Feedback survey if you have not done so already. I only have 43 responses so far out of 75. This survey allows MPOU to gauge how we are conducting our audits and I personally read each comment to incorporate your suggestions into our 2021 plan of action. We want to hear from you. Here is the link below, it only takes about 5 minutes to complete and it can be anonymous if you choose not to add your contact information.

2020 Provider Feedback

Thank you in advance for taking the time to give us feedback.. We are already looking forward to 2021!

Happy Holidays!

Barbara Neville

Oct 6. 2020

Good Morning Providers,

I hope you are all doing well and staying safe.

Just a friendly reminder that 3rd Quarter reports are due October 15th. Please let me know if you have any questions.

As we are wrapping up the year for compliance audits, I wanted to take a moment and thank each of you for all you do. We could not do this without your hard work and dedication. This is truly an amazing industry and we appreciate your contributions to the mission.

Please continue to stay safe and reach out to us if you need anything.

Thank you!

Barbara Neville

September 22, 2020

Good afternoon Providers,

I hope this email finds you safe and well.

Since we are all still going through new challenges, I wanted to just be sure that we are still here to help in any way. Please feel free to reach out to me personally if there is anything MPOU can do to assist.

A few reminders, Quarterly Reports are coming due soon, so I will be checking these regularly to insure these have been completed. Unfortunately, Lisa Ashburn retired recently and therefore, I have taken over this responsibility. Please email me if you think you need an extension of the deadline of October 15th. I will reasonably work with you if you have a need for an extension.

Also, LMS accounts need to be updated for all FULL TIME employees. If you are a full time employee the LMS account must be active under the entity in which the employee is employed. If you have any questions or need assistance, please notify Aura Russell and she can assist you.

Again, we are all in this together and we appreciate the hard work that each of you do for the Misdemeanor Industry.

Have a great day and again, let us know if you need anything.

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

Department of Community Supervision

To follow the Supreme Court Judicial Orders, please visit this link: https://www.gasupreme.us/

Suicide Prevention Information

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DsviMqXrFJNbEY8EKNnelYglFSV84UNbXB8aDKxK7VY/edit?usp=sharing

Updates will be added to the top of the list on this page

as they are received.

Please refer to the sidebar to submit questions, concerns, or suggestions. The utilization of these mechanisms will not only aid in the implementation of a transparent transition, they will allow for faster responses and tracking.

August 18, 2020

Good Morning Providers,

I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to give you a few updates and

keep the communication going through this new virtual world.

I have attached the current Executive Order from Governor Kemp

for your records.

In reference to fingerprints, we understand that many locations are still

closed due to COVID-19 and we will continue to work with you on getting

these processed. Please ensure when registering for fingerprinting, that

the information is entered correctly. Fingerprint sites will not fingerprint

if there is incorrect information (i.e date of birth, SSN). Also ensure that

the email provided is correct. If it is not the correct email for the employee

being fingerprinted, then the employee will not receive the approval

email from GEMALTO. The approval email needs to be brought with the

employee to the fingerprint site in order for the fingerprints to be processed.

COVID-19 Issues with fingerprinting.

If you are unable to be fingerprinted in your area due to COVID-19,

please contact Aura Russell so that it can be noted that it is a COVID-19

issue. MPOU will grant extensions due to this problem.

Once the Public Health Emergency has ended per Governor

Kemp employees will have 10 days to become compliant.

Staff Listings

If you have laid off, furloughed or terminated employees, please

remember to let Aura know. We have continually had to reach out to

providers about staffing deadlines just to find out that the employee is

no longer with the entity.

CHC forms

It is imperative that if asked to provide an updated CHC form that you do

so. We are unable to run a background check without it and we will not

approve registration without a background check. The new CHC form can

be found on our website and it is also attached to the email that is sent by

Aura when requesting registration information.

LMS

The GBI and MPOU require LMS compliance. We send out emails as reminders

to complete the training prior to specific dates for each employee.

If not completed then the employee is not in compliance with the GBI

therefore not in compliance with MPOU.

I appreciate all the hard work and dedication you are all putting forth during

these times, please feel free to reach out to me if you should need anything.

Stay safe,

Barbara Neville

June 3, 2020 GAPS/GEMALTO Update

Good morning, Providers.

I hope that everyone is doing well. I would like to provide an update on GAPS/GEMALTO. The vendor has changed their process for the registration and fingerprinting for staff. This became effective June 1, 2020. Director Neville and I will be attending training on these changes on June 4, 2020.

Changes to the process that can be addressed now are:

1. If the employee was registered on the GEMALTO website prior to June 1, there is no change.

2. If the employee was registered on June 1 or after, below are the steps that will need to be completed prior to visiting the fingerprinting site.

- Register as usual
  - Please ensure that the staff member’s email is correct on the registration.
- MPOU will receive the registration through the website. The registration will have to be approved by a MPOU staff member. Once the registration is approved, the staff member will receive an email that they are approved. This email will need to be brought with their registration form to the fingerprinting site. I was informed that the email will be sent within 24 hours from approval. MPOU does not send the email. Everyone currently registered on the site has been approved by MPOU.

Below are lists of sites that are currently fingerprinting. This list came from the GBI website.

Operational GAPS Printing Sites

Due to the impact of Covid-19 there are some fingerprint sites that are still closed. Below is a list of sites that are open for business.

Thank you for all that you do. Please know that we will share further information as we receive it.

Take care and let me know if I can be of further assistance or answer any questions.

May 21, 2020 MPOU Update

Good afternoon Providers,

I hope each of you are doing well and staying safe.

I know it has been a rough couple of months for most of you and I want to thank you all for your hard work and dedication to keeping Georgia safe!

As you are all aware, the Judicial State of Emergency will expire June 13th and things will be starting back up. With that said, we extended the deadline for your 1st QTR reports that were due April 15th to the end of the JSE. Since we want to work with you and allow for your operation to get back to 'normal', we have made the deadline for 1st QTR reports June 23. Please be sure to submit these reports as soon as possible.

Also, for LMS deadlines and GAPS deadlines, those deadlines were also extended to June 23rd in order to assist you all with any transition. Please be sure to get any of these deadlines completed as soon as possible also.

Again, thank you all for your hard work during this time and feel free to reach out to me directly if you need anything!

Have a great rest of the week and Happy Memorial Day!

April 7th Judicial Update

Providers,

I hope everyone is staying safe and doing well. I appreciate each of you completing the COVID status sheet in order for us to keep up with each entity operation. We will continue to assist in any way we can.

I wanted to be sure everyone was aware of the new Judicial Order that will extend the impact of your operations.

https://www.gasupreme.us/

April 2020 Update

Providers,

I hope this email finds you well. It is definitely a different world out there.

I wanted to be sure everyone had a copy of the Governor's order that will be effective tomorrow. I have attached it to this email. There are very specific instructions on what business should look like in order to comply.

As stated in previous correspondence, please follow your local operating procedures as you each see fit to uphold compliance with the Governor's order and your mission. MPOU is documenting the actions each of you are taking during this time to ensure that we are as supportive as possible and for tracking for future compliance audits.

We are under a new normal and we hope that each of you is taking care of yourself, your staff, and of course the public.

Governor's Order

March 2020 (2nd Update)

Providers,

I hope this email finds you well. As we continue to move on uncharted territory and beginning to move into the "new normal", we at MPOU want to keep you informed the best as we can.

I want to thank each of you for your leadership in following your local procedure during this time and ensuring that your safety and the safety of the public are of the utmost importance.

Please, do not forget to fill out the COVID status report here if you have not done so already. This will help us track what is going on with each entity for current situations as well as future compliance visits.

Also, we have implemented an emergency registration procedure for the entities that are staying open while practicing social distancing and CDC protocol. Since many of the fingerprinting stations are closed during this time, we will still tentatively approve any new employees by conducting a name based criminal background check but the new employees will be required to obtain fingerprints within 10 days of the State of Emergency being lifted. Tim Lewis has also reached out to a few of you and he will be sending out further information on virtual training instructions. We are hoping this will also help to provide the necessary training during this time and may be something we continue into the future. More specific information will be forthcoming.

We understand there will be areas that we will continue to work with you in order for you to complete your mission. Please continue to reach out if you have any specific questions.

On another note, since many of us are social distancing and self 'quarantining', I have provided a link for an important notice so we are all paying attention to ourselves and others during this time. Please take a moment to view the linked video:

- https://genosemotionalintelligence.com/message-from-ben-palmer/#.XnTO8VetIqA.gmail
- For more information and resources from MHFA during this difficult time, read these new resources on our blog:

- - For more information on COVID-19, please visit these resources:

Again, while we move into new times and many of us are virtually performing duties, please be very aware of cyber security. During this time criminals are taking advantage. Below is information from the FBI:

This information is provided for your general awareness as a reminder of good cyber-security practices. There are indications that a number of bad actors (hackers, scammers, etc) are engaging in a wide variety of criminal cyber activity in an effort to take advantage of the general public distress regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. During these times, it’s extremely important that you don’t make yourself and your agency vulnerable by not paying close attention to url link addresses that look close enough to the real thing, only to take you to a bogus site that compromises your identity or your system with a trojan or other malicious code. For example corona-virus-map url is a new website that has popped up that contains an AZORult Trojan virus. There are also reports of malicious virus tracking apps for android users.

One good practice is to only use your favorites to log into your accounts, or type the url directly into the browser address line. For instance if you get an email from your account that says your statement is now available and says click on the link to see your statement, STOP! Go to your browser and log into your account to view the statement…don’t click on the link in the email. Cyber criminals are getting extremely crafty in spoofing corporate and government email notices, with agency seals, official logos, and official looking signature blocks, etc.

Mouse your cursor over the url, addresses, and other links to make sure they actually match the location; for example the link may say mybank[dot]com, but when you scroll over the link it says imtakingyourmoney[dot]ru. Another example is making the addressee look close enough to the actual address that you respond; for example your alumni association uses myalumni[@]college.edu and you receive an email from myalumni[@]college.com asking for donations to a “worthy” cause. When in doubt, call the company, office, or person – not using the number they provided in the email…look it up in your contacts, directory, etc., and verify the request before responding.

Finally,

Here is some additional information that you all may find helpful.

Following is a link to a page FEMA created to help with rumor control regarding COVID-19. One that won't go away is the myth that there is going to be a national lockdown and quarantine as soon as military assets are in place to enforce it. Just one of several myths.

Coronavirus Rumor Control

Thank you all for your professionalism and leadership during this time. Please reach out if there is anything we can do for you.

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

March 2020: (1st Update)

Good Morning Providers,

I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe. I wanted to give you all an update on a few things during this time of the COVID-19 emergency.

First, DCS and MPOU has implemented our policy for safety of staff and we are now working remotely as much as possible. Each area is still expected to perform their specific duties while being cautious and ensuring public safety. MPOU is still continuing to perform our annual performance and of course we will work with each of you in areas that we may need something from you to make sure you are all safe and able to perform your duties as expected within your local expectations.

Second, I have had a few questions from providers asking if MPOU has any direction for operating procedures in light of the quarantine and state closures. Our expectations, first and foremost, is your safety and the safety of the public. With that said, we are still expecting each entity to satisfy their expectations within your service agreements, abide by Ga Statute and Board Rules. Due to local changes/closures, each of you are expected to abide by your local emergency policy and authorized directives.

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please let us know. We will try to keep you informed as much as possible from our end but please follow your local operating procedure in your local area as directed.

Thank you all for your hard work, stay safe and informed, and as always, we are here if you need us.

Team,

DCS is dedicated to ensuring the safety and health of staff, providers, probationers, and the public.

I have attached a few flyers that may be helpful and informative for your local locations. It is important to keep yourself informed through reliable and accurate sources. In this case, reliable sources include Georgia Department of Public Health and CDC. Both agencies provide frequent updates on their websites.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jan 2020 Updates:

Good Afternoon Providers,

I hope this email finds you well. I want to start by saying that we are looking forward to this year. Since our inception we have made great strides to become the best industry in the nation. I believe we are almost there!!

First, we have completed our 2020 plan of action and I want to share it with you. As you know, I sent out a memo for signed and approved service agreements (attached) for your records. This is to assist you in ensuring proper service agreements are in place in order to prevent liability on your part by operating without an agreement. I hope this helps assist in getting agreements signed and filed in a timely manner. This will also endure we have all the required information on file with MPOU for our audit per the GBI.

Second, I have attached a copy of the Provider Accountability memo that was sent out earlier this week. We will continue to provide reminders and exceptional customer service and we will expect the same continued support from each of you.

Third, our Training unit has developed the 2020 plan for statewide training. Tim Lewis has done an exceptional job in refining our annual and inservice training while adding specialized training in order to keep you all informed in our mission of public safety.

Here is a summary of the most recent upcoming events:

Feb 18 & 19 = Smyrna, Smyrna City Community Ctr. 200 Village Green Circle, Smyrna, 30080

March 11 & 12 = Winder, Winder Utilities Complex, 431 Miles Patrick Rd, Winder, 30680

April 22 & 23 = Cedartown, Polk County EMA, 55 Cline Ingram Jackson Rd., Cedartown, 30125

May 20 & 21 = Hinesville, Hinesville Police Dept, 123 East ML KIng Jr. Dr, Hinesville, 30125

If you have any questions or suggestions on training, please reach out to Tim Lewis at William.Lewis@dcs.ga.gov

I have also included the video from last years training. Thank you to everyone that has hosted, co hosted, and participated in teaching or attending!

View Our Photos

Fourth, We only have a few courts that we are waiting on service agreements from and registration will be completed for all entities for 2020! I want to thank each of you for your continued support in getting us this information in a timely manner and I would be remiss if I didn't thank Aura Russell for her hard work and dedication to this process!

Lastly, we have implemented a new process for compliance audits and I am happy to announce that 24 providers will receive a 2020 "waiver" this year, this meaning we will not be scheduling an "annual" audit for these providers based on not having significant findings for the past two years. You will be contacted individually if you are "waived" for 2020. Great work by all!!

Thank you for all you do and please let me know if I can be of any assistance moving forward into this year!

Accountability Memo

Service Agreement Memo

December 2019 Updates:

Hello Providers and Happy Holidays!

I hope each of you are well and ready for the New Year!

This has been a tremendous year and I can't thank each of you enough for your hard work and commitment to the Industry!

I have attached the presentation that was presented to the DCS Board yesterday (Dec. 19, 2019). This shows the hard work and dedication from each of you and I can't thank you and the MPOU staff enough for everything! Let's keep it going into 2020!

Here are a few other updates for the coming year.

Registration has been sent out and is due January 31st. Please read and provide the necessary documentation for your approval. Each provider has received their own instruction for their entity. We may be asking for a signed copy of your service agreement(s) if we do not have one on file as required by the GBI. Also, PLEASE respond to Aura's GAPS requests and LMS requirements (we are held to compliance by the GBI and will be forced to revoke registration in order to keep ourselves in compliance with our own GBI audit. Therefore, we will need your full assistance in these areas and will have to be more strict on timelines than we are for other areas of MPOU.

We are also working on our 2020 plan and this will include our scheduling of compliance visits. Since we are working toward utilization of technology, many of our compliance visits will be conducted via email, phone call, hangout, etc., if appropriate. Your monitor will reach out to you if a physical site visit is not necessary and give you options on how you would like to proceed. We are hoping this will not only streamline our process but eliminate unnecessary time constraints on you and your staff.

Lastly,

I will be out of the Country from Dec 22-29 and unable to take or make calls due to roaming charges. If you have any questions or emergencies, please contact La Donna Varner Burney at Ladonna.varner@dcs.ga.gov

I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday and a safe and Happy New Year! Thank you for all you do!!!!!

Board Presentation

November 2019 Updates:

Good Morning Providers!

I hope this email finds you well! We are almost through the year and wrapping up with the 2019 requirements! I want to thank each of you for your hard work this year! It truly has been another terrific year because of your commitment and hard work!

As we move onto 2020, we will be sending out the coming year's registration by December 16th and they will be due by January 31, 2020. We have continued to strive for an easy, streamlined process for you. Thank you in advance for your attention on this matter.

Lastly, I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday season. Please let me know if you need anything from me!

October 2019 Updates:

Providers,

I hope you are all doing well and looking forward to the upcoming fall/winter!

I want to take a moment and thank each of you for another great year! Also, thank you to those that have taken the time to complete the MPOU survey, if you have not done so already, please take a moment to do so, we currently only have 40 out of 74 providers. Here is the link: MPOU Survey Also, thank you to everyone that has assisted us in our internal audit of POST information and service agreements. With the POST information we are requesting, this will allow for us to stay in compliance with the GBI and the service agreements audit is a way for us to ensure that we have a maintained copy of your agreement and to notate the expiration date of each.

Due to the statewide budget cuts, we have decided to move forward with our Misdemeanor Industry Strategic plan electronically. I have attached the latest plan that we developed in our last meeting. Our next steps are to get feedback from you on what has been accomplished so far, please make yourselves familiar with what we have so far so we can move forward with this initiative the remainder of the year. Here is what you all identified as the industries next steps in our last meeting:

What Goals as an Industry to we want to achieve?

- Staffing (Hire, Train, and Retain)
- Statewide Database
- Positive Public Perception
- Reduce Liabilities
- Netgaining/Networking
- Sentence Consistency

Please be prepared to discuss what you have done in order to accomplish these goals and where you think you may need assistance in gaining success.

From the MPOU perspective, we are currently working on getting some approved training available to you online. This will allow for you to gain the knowledge that we present during our statewide training in the comfort of your office to assist with travel and time constraints. I will let you know when the training is available.

On another note, I have been asked a number of times about DCS Basic. DCS has a directive to stay "mission oriented". While we know this is an important area for the mission of the Misdemeanor industry, it is not a "mission" of DCS. I hope you all understand that I did ask and I did look into other areas to assist, but the bottom line is, DCS is not going to move forward with this initiative. As always, please let me know if I can assist in any way for the industry to move forward.

Lastly,

We have been working with CJCC and trying to reconcile the GCVEF amounts between CJCC and DCS. They have updated the form in order to address the amount that is reported to them versus what we show on our Quarterly Reports. Please begin to use the new form (GCVEF remittance Form) and add the Quarter report date to the form which will tell us what date the amount that you are submitting to CJCC was reported on the DCS Quarterly reports.

Here is a message from CJCC:

Meeting Needs Today. Preparing for Tomorrow.

The Victims Compensation Program was created to ease the financial burden of crime victims statewide. Program benefits include medical expenses, counseling, funeral bills, lost wages and loss of income. In addition, the Program has expanded over the last few years to cover the costs of Forensic Medical Examinations (FME) for sexual assault victims and Forensic Interviews (FI) for identification of resources for minor victims or adults who are developmentally delayed.

The Crime Victims Emergency Fund is primarily sustained through probation and parole fees, which are then used to make awards to families of homicide victims, and directly to victims of assault and battery, family violence, sexual assault, child molestation and any other violent offense as defined by Georgia statute. In state fiscal year 2019, the Program paid out over $21 million in benefits to over 18,560 victims and their families – up from $17 million in SFY 2017.

With your help, we hope to continuously secure the longevity of the Crime Victims Emergency Fund and the Program’s ability to further assist crime victims in Georgia financially, so that they can focus on healing from the trauma of their victimization.

As such, we continue to encourage your agency to be diligent in collecting, reporting and submitting probation and parole fees as we partner to improve criminal justice and victims services in Georgia.

Please don't forget to check out our website, especially the Forms section, as we post the most updated documentation for your reference to include the DCS Board Rules.

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

(404)558-0180

Department of Community Supervision

MPOU Website

Misdemeanor 2019-2020 strategic plan

September 2019 Updates:

Good Morning Providers!

I hope each of you have enjoyed the summer and those of you in the path of the Hurricane are staying safe and taking precautions.

I wanted to give you all a few updates:

As you know we have been tasked with a significant statewide budget cut per Gov. Kemp. Therefore, we are going to make some changes to contribute to our need to save money the next two fiscal years. First, we have been downsized to 5 Compliance Monitors for Audits from 6. We will also be changing the way we do our compliance visits to utilize technology and eliminate travel expenses and other associated expenses during the compliance process. I do not see this having a large impact on how we are performing the audits but I want to make you all aware if you see some changes on how things are handled moving forward.

Secondly, I know we were all excited about the opportunity to send qualified Governmental Misdemeanor Probation officers to DCS Basic but sadly this also has been cut for the time being based on the budget cuts. DCS is downsizing the basic classes to only 4 per year and I am not even sure this would have helped us if the opportunity was still there. I would like to still discuss some other options (such as starting our OWN basic mandate course through POST). I believe this would be the best way to get the training needed for the officer positions and also get POST certification. Stay tuned as I do some reaching out to POST to see how to go about doing this.

I have attached some FAQ that have been coming up lately so we are on the same page. Please see the attachment and refer to this for direction in case this comes up within your area.

Last but not least, Congratulations to the GPACS Lisa Lance Scholarship winner Shanna Smith from Middle Georgia Probation!!! The conference was a great success and I was proud to have 31 attendees from the Misdemeanor Industry representing! What a great turn out!

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

Sept 2019 FAQ

July 2019 Updates:

Hello Providers!

I hope everyone is doing well and had a safe Fourth of July!

I wanted to send out a few updates. First, is a cyber security warning that you may want to share with all your staff just to ensure the integrity of your email systems:

Cybersecurity events such as ransomware attacks are a continuing threat in both the public and private sectors. Usually delivered via spam email and installed when users click malicious links, ransomware encrypts the user’s personal data and files and typically asks the user to pay a “ransom” to unlock the files. Ransomware is also used to attack servers, encrypting an organization’s data and asking the organization to pay a ransom.

Our employees are the first line of defense against an attack. It’s worth regularly reminding staff about basic cybersecurity measures:

Do not open emails or attachments from unknown senders.
Do not click on links from unknown senders.
Check the sender’s email address to see if the email is actually from someone you know. Email addresses can be easily created to look “official” and dupe the recipient.
Shut down your computer at the end of each day and reboot when you report to work.

Second, I am working on getting Governmental Providers that are an approved POST law enforcement agency approved to attend DCS Basic Certification. With that said, if you are interested in being a part of this process, please email me and let me know your interest and I will be reaching out to you to develop the procedure to get your staff into DCS Basic. Please only email me about your interest if you are Governmental and are an approved POST Law Enforcement Agency that is interested in attending our DCS Basic class.

Third, I am looking to get a room at GPSTC to continue our strategic plan, I have attached the last Power Point from our last meeting for you to review, this next meeting will be the next steps and feedback from you as to what you have been able to do to resolve any areas of the plan. I will be sending out details for the meeting as soon as I have a confirmation of the room and a date.

Fourth, PLEASE ensure that each of your staff has completed their LMS certificate bi-annually. Aura sends out reminders when the training needs to be completed. There are strict deadlines that the GBI has given us to adhere to for the training. We do not want to have to give out sanctions for non compliance on this type of requirements.

Lastly,

I have attached the GPACS ad sales packet and vendor packet for you if you would like to buy any ads amd/or give to any vendors for the upcoming GPACS summer conference in Savannah, GA (August 21-23). If you would like to register for the conference, please click on the link below:

2019 GPACS Conference Registration

Thank you all for all the hard work this year so far and please let me know if you have any questions.

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

(404)558-0180

Department of Community Supervision

MPOU Website

June 2019 Updates:

Providers,

I hope each of you are enjoying the warmer weather. Thank you to everyone that has attended our trainings so far this year and for all your hard work on compliance visits! We have seen a difference in our findings from the past years and it is all because of your hard work and commitment!

As most of you know, MPO recently completed our GBI audit. July 1, 2019 will begin our new 3 year cycle for our next audit. There will be some changes in our processes that we will need to complete in order for us all to be compliant and we will be reaching out to you as the changes develop.

Please note: MPO took on the responsibility of having you as a vendor for GBI audit purposes which allows staff of your entity to be fingerprinted through GAPS once every two years instead of every staff being fingerprinted for every court that you provide services every two years. I felt this was the most efficient way of moving forward and also more cost effective as some providers have large staff and large number of contracts. With that being said, please provide any requested information in a timely manner so we can continue the process for the GBI through MPOU.

This also brings up an important process:

Every new employee will need to be registered with MPOU as soon as you hire them. There should be no delay in the date you hire an employee and register them with us. The required documentation that MPOU needs to approve your applicant will stay the same, per our Board Rules. The new employee will need to be fingerprinted through GAPS within 10 days of the date that you hire them. My staff will approve based on the fingerprint results and proof of education. The documents that are required for approval are:

Signed CHC Consent form

Proof of Education/POST Record

Signed Confidentiality Form

The employee will have 10 days from the approval letter to provide:

Security Awareness Training certificate

Awareness Statement that is signed in the LMS training electronically and the actual signed form sent to us. It is very important that the dates match.

Private Providers will need to have a signed security addendum on file with us also.

It is important to note that these items will need to renewed every two years.

Sanctions may be imposed on providers that are not in compliance with the registration process.

The forms are below for your reference and also available on our website.

The GBI has updated the CJIS Vendor Agreement. This will need to be signed and returned back to us. Aura Russell will be reaching out to you soon with the form and instructions. We were notified that if a form is updated by the GBI and we will also need to update. The form is attached if you feel like being proactive. :)

We will be reaching out to the governmental entities individually to discuss POST employees. There are requirements that we must adhere to. Please be prepared to provide us with all of your full time staff that are POST certified and their POST records showing active status with their agency.

LMS Rosters

Aura will also be reaching out to you in reference to the LMS Rosters that you have for your entity. It is very important that the roster that you have in LMS match our roster that we have on file. All full time employees of an entity must have their LMS under the entity and no other LMS account. For example: if an employee is full time with ABC probation company, they must only have one LMS account for ABC probation company. Some governmental providers may have employee that are full time with the Police Dept, S.O, etc., this would mean they are paid for full time services with that entity and would only be under the LMS account for that entity in which they are employed full time.

If an employee leaves, you must go in as soon as possible and make them inactive. Our personnel list of full time employees must match the LMS account for each provider. This does not change any registration requirements for all employees, this is only for LMS accounts. All employees are required to complete all the required LMS training but their full time status will determine which LMS account they will be under.

PLEASE NOTE: Entities are not allowed to direct participants to one particular program. Below is the link for certified FVIP's. Probation officers should go to this link for the most current certified list.

https://gcfv.georgia.gov/sites/gcfv.georgia.gov/files/related_files/site_page/2019%20FVIP%20LIST%20by%20COUNTY.docx%20%285%29.pdf

Lastly,

I will be out next week and unable to check emails or phone, you can always reach out to your Compliance Monitor or La Donna Varner Burney for emergencies.

Thanks again for all you do!

For your reference here are the DCS Board Rules:

http://rules.sos.state.ga.us/gac/105-2?urlRedirected=yes&data=admin&lookingfor=105-2

May 2019 Updates:

Providers,

I want to thank each of you for all your hard work so far this year! It seems like we have all been very busy during these first few months but we appreciate your willingness to assist us in what needs to be completed!

We are still working with the GBI on the issues with LMS so please don't worry if you cannot get your roster to us. We will reach out to you once we hear back with a resolution from GBI. If you can provide your LMS roster because you DO have access, please send it to Aura as this will prevent us from having to follow up with you individually.

The Governor has a sexual harassment initiative to prevent and train on sexual harassment so I have attached a poster for you of you would like to use it to bring attention to prohibited sexual harassment. Sexual Harassment Prevention

Also, May is Mental Health awareness month so if you are doing anything on or for this cause, please let me know so we can spotlight you and your efforts. (Please note: if you log in through the GPSTC training webpage [https://www.gpstc.org/training-at-gpstc/online-training/], you can also get a POST credit hour for this training)

Start the Conversation

Last but not least, thank you to all that have served in the military and remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Please have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day!

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

April 2019 Updates:

Providers,

First I want to thank those that were able to attend the April 10th Misdemeanor Industry Strategic Planning event. I have attached the powerpoint for everyone's review and feedback. You are making progress!!

(Remember, this is the feedback from the perspective of the Misdemeanor Industry (YOU) and not DCS's strategic plan. We are only assisting in coordinating this for you as industry leaders)

I have also attached a few resources for you all based on a few questions that I have been asked over the past months. Please let me know if you need anything else.

Also, thank you to each of you that have assisted in hosting one of our statewide trainings, I know Tim and I have said this before, but we couldn't do it without your help!

Thanks for all you do!!

In order to be considered a Law Enforcement/POST certified agency you must have a Chief Officer and be approved by POST:

A Chief executive or department head of a unit of the state, a subdivision or municipality thereof, or a railroad who is a peace officer as defined in O.C.G.A. 35-8-2(8) (A) and whose responsibilities include the supervision and assignment of one or more employees or the performance of administrative and management duties of a police agency or law enforcement unit. Find more information at https://www.gapost.org/Rules/2defin.html

If you do NOT have a Chief Officer and you are not approved by POST, you are NOT authorized to perform your own arrests or serve warrants! If you do not know if you are approved, err on the side of caution and do not arrest or serve warrants until you have verified that your entity is considers approved by POST and you have an appointed Chief. (just because you employ a person that is POST certified does not mean they are allowed to perform peace officers duties. A peace officer or POST certified person must be approved under an approved Law Enforcement Agency as stated above) Here is also information from the GA COP site: https://gachiefs.com/index.php/state-certification/

Attached is the Record Retention information that I found to be helpful but you can find more specific information at https://www.georgiaarchives.org/records/state_government/

Please note: MPOU requires all documentation to be retained for 3 years so if the State Archives states less than 3 years for retention, you MUST still keep it for 3 in order for us to complete your compliance audits.

The American Probation and Parole Association is a great resource that you may want to use for training and networking. Here is the link to their site: APPA

Lastly, I attached the Southern Center for Human Rights booklet that is given to all your probationers that request it from the Southern Center. It is also available on their website at: https://www.schr.org/

2019 Strategic Planning MPOU

Thank you all for what you do!

Attachment:"What we Look for"

Final GBI Compliance Requirements

Update April 10, 2018

We are nearing the end of the compliance process with the GBI. We have just a couple of items to be completed and then we will be finished. We are tracking this information for you and will advise when it will need to be updated. FYI - the GBI requires this to be completed/updated every two years.

Please have each member of your staff sign the Awareness Statement and Security Addendum. Please return to me via email or fax. This will need to be completed by May 15, 2018.

MPOU’s fax number is 404-860-1446.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Aura Russell

__________________________________________________________________________________

Our 2017 Annual Report is now available: https://joom.ag/p2HL

Updates 3/28/2018

Hello Everyone!

As we start our processes for the new year, I wanted to be sure you all were up to date with a few changes.

In order to enhance our work together, we have changed our audit processes by changing a few areas:

First, we have refined our audit guide (I have attached that for your reference) As you will see there are not many changes on the guide itself except for a few areas but our major changes are in the Final Audits (Judges letter)

Please note: the Audit guide is your guide and our guide of what we have found, what we have removed/resolved, and what is recommended. The new process means this is just OUR documentation between one another to address the compliance visit as a whole.

The major change is in the Judges letter or Final Audit. The final audit is what we have all agreed upon or settled on (whichever is relevant) and will be sent to the Judge. This will be a clean letter and NOT include the cases themselves or any other details except the findings and your response to those findings. Best practices will show up on your audit guide but not on the final audit to the Judges. We want to be sure we are transparent but we also do not want to bog down the Judges with over information that may ultimately end up with you having to explain areas that your are working to improve. Please note: when you do your final response, only respond to what is on the final audit (judges letter) since we will attach that to show you have addressed any findings.

In short, this is to keep you informed as to what we are looking for during your compliance visit. This is not limited, as we may find something that needs addressed or is a violation that we have not specifically searched out to find, BUT, this will at least help you to know what we are specifically looking for.. Remember we are concentrating on HIGH LIABILITY areas!! I have also address BEST PRACTICES.. This will also assist in areas that we would prefer as far as processes but are not violations of law or rules. Again, best practices are communication between MPOU and the provider and will not end up on the final audit. This DOES mean we expect them to be used in order to prevent any liability or perception. Do the right thing for the right reasons. We are here to help and we are all in this together.

High Liability:

1. Pay only cases
2. Tolling Affidavits/Orders
3. Indigent Offenders
4. Consecutive cases
5. Supervising cases past expiration

Please feel free to reach out to me if you need anything!

I am also adding some wording to the Board Rules to address the following to include that all records are not subject to subpoena. Please treat all your records as confidential unless the probationer is asking for his/her legal required paperwork (receipts, etc stated in 42-8-109.2) All case notes are confidential!

Confidentiality Statement:

(a) Except as provided in subsection (a) of Code Section 42-8-108 and subsection (b) of this Code section, all reports, files, records, and papers of whatever kind relative to the supervision of probationers by a private corporation, private enterprise, or private agency contracting under the provisions of this article or by a county, municipality, or consolidated government providing probation services under this article are declared to be confidential and shall be available only to the affected county, municipality, or consolidated government, or an auditor appointed by such county, municipality, or consolidated government, the judge handling a particular case, the Department of Audits and Accounts, Department of Corrections, DCS, State Board of Pardons and Paroles, or the board.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you need anything!

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

Advisory Committee Meeting

March 20, 2018 10:00 a.m.

2 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive SE

Executive Board Room

East Tower - 4th Floor

Atlanta, Georgia 30334

GCIC Website: http://gcicweb.gbi.state.ga.us

December 11, 2017- Provider Update:

All,

It has been another great year! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to making Misdemeanor Probation the best it can be! Without you all, this could not be possible.

I wanted to give you all just a brief rundown of what to expect this coming year. As you know, the contracts are due to be in compliance with the new statute by Jan 2018. Don't panic! We will work with you as we have been doing to get you all in compliance. The deadline to be contract compliant is Jan 31, 2018. Many of you have done so already and I want to thank you for that.

We will begin our 2018 registration next week for those that would like to get a kick start on the new year. Registration will be sent out to you via Google form on Dec 18th and will be due Jan 31st. If we have approved your contract, please note this in your registration and we will send you your 2018 certification after verification. If you are still working on your contract, we will tentatively approve you with the stipulation that your contract will be approved by a date we will work out individually. Once your contract is approved, you will receive your 2018 certification.

I have reserved Bay B at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center for Jan 16th, 2018 to discuss the previous year, go over DCS Board rules for suggestions of modifications, and to discuss any concerns with your contracts.

Again, Thank you all for another great year and Happy Holidays!

November 1, 2017 GAPS final steps:

All:

As you all know, we have been working with the GBI to adhere to State law and GBI policy for fingerprinting of employees.

We have sent the Stage 1 directions which allowed for LMS accounts for providers and individual employees to be set up. Aura will be our TAC and will remind you and your employees of training due dates (which are to be completed every two years).

Stage 2 directions was to complete the Criminal Justice Agency CGIC network agreement. This makes MPOU the point of contact for fingerprints/GAPS responses.

We are now in our last stage (Stage 3) which is implementation.

Please note:

The ORI number that you will use for ANY and ALL fingerprints/background checks is: GA060M65G. This will be the Reviewing Agency ID.

You MUST then use your GAC ID provided to you on October 6th in the space of Requesting Agency ID.

Attached for your convenience are the instructions in using GAPS. This process is effective immediately.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact TAC Aura Russell at aura.russell@dcs.ga.gov or 770-634-8442.

Thank you,

GBI/GAPS directions

August 8, 2017 Provider Update:

Good day Providers!!

I hope this finds you all well. I wanted to give you all a few tips and updates that I have been seeing the past month or so. Please be advised of the following and let me know if you have any questions.

Pay only (GCVEF)- Pay only cases are cases that do not have any other conditions except for general conditions and a fine. Pay only cases can only collect 3 months of supervision fees. This applies to the GCVEF also. Therefore, on pay only cases the 9 dollar victim fee will only be collected if the probationer is actively paying supervision fees. If you have a pay only case, the probationer will pay supervision fees and GCEVF. After 3 months collection, there will be no collection of fees and GCVEF.

Front loading- Providers shall not collect any fees prior to providing services. I understand many of you have 'examples' but I am advising not to do this. Not only does it look bad but it misrepresents our quarterly reports data.

FAQ for GAPS- I have attached the FAQ to assist in our efforts for GAPS. Remember, we are only using the MPOU ORI for fingerprints!

Tolling- I have listed the rules below and the link to the formal rules for your reference. This has created much confusion so I wanted to clarify:

Ensure tolling affidavits include all attempts to contact the probationer prior to submitting a

sworn affidavit. Per O.C.G.A. § 42-8-105, to toll a case, an officer must show due-diligence

and the tolling affidavit must state:

(1). The probationer failed to report as directed on at least two (2) occasions.

Should include the dates in the affidavit and be in case notes;

(2). The probation officer attempted, on at least two (2) separate occasions, to contact the

probationer by telephone or email and must include the telephone number or email address

in the affidavit;

(3). The probation officer sent a first-class letter directing the probationer to report in-person

within ten (10) days or submit to possible tolling of the case and must include the mailing

address in the affidavit;

(4). The probationer failed to report in-person within the ten (10) day period noted above; and

(5). The probationer is not listed on the local jail rosters.

(6). If the probationer reports within the ten (10) day deadline described above, the probation office must schedule a revocation hearing for the next available court calendar.

http://rules.sos.state.ga.us

Lastly, We are waiting on the GBI to have GAPS go live. Once we get our login in order to create their accounts we will let you know when we will go live. Thank you all for your help and support with this process!

Barbara Neville

Director of Misdemeanor Probation Oversight

June 26,2017 update (step one for GAPS)

Good Afternoon Providers,

As you know from my last email, we have been working with the GBI to finalize our GAPS fingerprint process. The GBI has updated much of their processes to accommodate your our needs for fingerprints. I will be sending out step by step directions on how we will all need to handle getting on board with the GBI and getting access to this information. At this time, I want to thank each of you for your patience and understanding while this has been being worked through. I am happy to say, we are on the path to resolution!

Here is the STEP ONE to get the ball rolling:

Each provider will need to provide a point of contact (POC) for security training and fingerprinting. This will be the MPOU's contact for any and all information in reference to background checks, GCIC, fingerprints, training, etc. The POC information to include name, email, and phone number will need to be submitted to Aura Russell via email at aura.russell@dcs.ga.gov by Friday, June 30, 2017.

Next,

I have attached the LMS account management form below from the GBI. I will need each of you to complete one for your Provider Agency. Each LMS account form will need to be emailed to LMSHelp@gbi.ga.gov or you may fax it to 404-270-8452. If you need any assistance with the LMS form you can also call 404-244-2770 option 3 for assistance. This is required by the GBI in order to create your account to allow for security/awareness training. Once your account has been established for your agency, we will reach out to each provider for the next steps on how to have your staff register through LMS.

This is all we are asking for at this time, but I will send out our next steps as soon as we get some further information from the GBI on our progress.

Thank you again for all you do and I look forward to getting this part of progress completed.

Have a great 4th of July!

**LMS form is located under forms.

June 15, 2017

Providers,

I wanted to touch base with you to give you a few updates. Before I do that, I want to thank you all for the well wishes and support while I was out. You are a great team of people! Thank you.

On to the updates:

I have had a number of you ask for assistance with your service agreements. I have attached the DCS Board rules that show the minimum requirements. If you ensure that each of these rules are in your agreements, you should be in compliance. With that said, in order for us to assist you in getting all service agreements in compliance by Jan 2018; I have made some changes in our unit.

We have made specific 'units' within MPOU. We now have a units that are responsible for Compliance, Training, Registration and Changes, and Service Agreements. Below is the contact person for each unit:

Compliance- Shevondah Leslie (Staff Director)

Training- Tim Lewis

Registration and Changes- Aura Russell

Service Agreements- John Coar

You will be able to find our contact information on our website at the

MPOU Webpage under "About Us".

These units will be the subject matter experts within that area. Therefore, if you have sent any questions about Compliance, Training, Registration and Changes, or Service Agreements, PLEASE RESEND your request to the appropriate staff member for follow up.

Our expectations is that each unit will be the responsible party for addressing concerns and compliance for their area of expertise.

The Compliance unit will continue to perform compliance audits for all providers, this process has not changed.

The Training unit will continue to provide statewide training in order to assist you in maintaining your training requirements per the DCS Rules. The Training unit will also be responsible for ensuring compliance of the training hours each year for all providers and staff.

The Registration unit will be responsible for registration of providers and employees. This will continue to be required to be reported via our Webpage under 'Registration and Changes". Please note: Any and all changes must be reported. Registration is not transferable. Therefore, all changes in employees, services, contacts, etc. must be reported. Also, it is my recommendation that you request employee registration prior to hire (this only take a day or two turnaround time), this prevents the hiring of an employee and then to find that they are denied registration. Without registration, the person is not eligible for employment. Also, if a provider signs a new agreement with a court, this needs to be approved even if the provider was registered with MPOU previously. Any and all changes need to be reported. Again, here is the link to our webpage.

MPOU Webpage

I will be scheduling another Statewide provider meeting in the future to discuss some proposed Board Rule changes, so look to attend this meeting if you have any questions or suggestions that you want heard.

Another change that we have made is we are tracking areas of "High Liability" and will be following up with a director's letter. Please do not think this is a sanction, but a follow up to ensure that action has been taken in the areas of high liability. We have defined high liability as Pay only cases, Tolling, Indigents, Consecutive cases, and unauthorized fee collections.

We will continue to address these areas in our compliance visits and encourage the providers to perform an internal audit that will require a date for a response to have addressed the finding. We will be making this process formal with the letter.

I have been working with the CJCC and they have revised their forms they require you to complete. The new form is attached below and is also available on our webpage. Please begin to use the new forms immediately. I have also attached the memo from the CFO to address non compliance with the collection of these fees. Please begin, if you are not already, to collect these fees as required by law.

Lastly, I have attached a copy of the current Board Rules for your reference.

Thank you all again and have a great day!!

DCS Board Rules Effective Feb 14, 2017

CJCC memo

GCVEF Remittance Report

February 17, 2017

Providers,

I hope this finds you all well. Thank you all for the hard work that you have done this past year. We finalized the Board rules effective February 14, 2017. There are a number of addenda that we are working on to clean up a few scrivener's errors and to make some clarification points, I will share any changes as they come. (I have attached the Final Rules for your reference). Please note: we will be providing training on the rules and we do understand if there are significant changes to your operation, we will work with you. As I have always said, we are in this together.

With that said, the 1st quarter reports are going to be due April 15th. This will be for the months of January, February, and March. One thing that I noticed on the past quarterly reports is that providers are not breaking down the fees that are collected. There is a drop down box that allows for your fees to be broken down into specific categories such as: Probation supervision fees, Rehabilitation programming fees, Electronic monitoring fees, Drug or alcohol detection device fees, Substance abuse or mental health evaluation or treatment fees, Drug testing fees, Number of community service hours performed by probationers under supervision, Any other service for which a probationer was required to pay to attend. Please be sure to include any information that you can in this section and all other sections that are provided.

Lastly,

We sent out the training survey recently, please be sure to complete this so we will know where to start with training needs.. Here is the link for your reference.

Training Survey

Thank you all for all your hard work. I look forward to a great year!!

January 17, 2017

Providers,

I want to take a moment to introduce our newest team member, Mr. Lewis. Please see the introduction below. Tim will serve as our training coordinator to assist and implement all our training needs. He will be a great asset to bringing training from us to you! Please join me in a warm welcome.

Message from Mr. Lewis:

I am pleased to introduce myself as one of the newest members of the DCS team having been given the privileged of filling the position of MPOU Training Coordinator. I believe the past 27 years of experience in probation services, the first 8 as a State Probation Officer and the last 19 focused on delivery of services to courts serving the misdemeanor population, has prepared me for this opportunity. I am committed to assisting each of you in your endeavors to provide training programs for your employees that will ensure compliance with state requirements, establish a foundation for the success of your organization, heighten the satisfaction of the courts you serve, deliver effective services to the offender and ultimately enhance public safety in our communities.

As we are contemplating the various ideas, issues, and perceived needs related to training within the realm of misdemeanor probation services; I will be asking for your feedback on a few topics that will help us set our sights on worthwhile targets and will also assist us in prioritizing our immediate efforts.

I look forward to working with you, please never hesitate to contact me.

Email address: William.Lewis@dcs.ga.gov

December 15, 2016

Good Afternoon,

I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to a great upcoming Holiday!

I have received numerous questions about registration for 2017 and wanted to ensure you all that we are working on a process for next years registration and will have those out to you in January.

Thank you to each of you for all the hard work on the quarterly reports. The 4th quarter reports will be due January 17th. If you should have any issues with this date, please let me know and we can work with you.

Finally,

Today the DCS Board Rules were voted on by the DCS Board for initial adoption, these will supersede the CMPAC rules. I have attached them for your review and for your comments. Please take a moment and look them over and email or mail me any questions or comments (suggestions/concerns) that you may have so I can bring these to the next Board meeting in January.

Again, thank you for all you do on a day to day basis and please let me know if you need anything. Have a safe and wonderful Holiday!

Dec 15, 2016 DCS Board rules voted for initial adoption

DCS Board Rules

Public Hearing Notice

Update November 1, 2016 : Please select link to refer to email regarding statewide provider meeting.

September 2016 Updates: Please select link to refer to emails in reference to Quarterly reports.

Update July 30, 2016 : Please click the link to refer to email from Director Neville regarding quarterly reports

Update July 6, 2016: Please click here to refer to the email from Director Neville regarding quarterly reports.

5/12/2016: Definitions (Gov Authority, Pay Only, Toll)

Please click this Link to refer to the email from Director Neville regarding definitions. Click here for letterhead in reference to tolling.

4/5/2016: Update

Please click this Link to refer to the email from Director Neville regarding 1st quarter reports.

1/22/2016: Update

Please click here for the email from Director Neville on Quarterly Reports, New Employee Registration and other Forms.

12/21/2015: Update

Please click here to view messages from Director Neville on Registration process.

10/29/2015: Updates

Please click this Link to refer to the email dated 10/29/2015 from Director Neville regarding updates on registration and quarterly reports.

10/05/15: New Registration Process & Quarterly Reports

Please click this Link to refer to the email dated 10/05/15 from Director Neville regarding a new registration process outside of the Georgia Courts Registrar and instructions regarding Quarterly Reports.

Welcome Message September 2015

Please click on this Link to refer to the letter from Director Neville regarding the inception of the DCS Misdemeanor Probation Oversight Program.

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