Explanation
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this ordinance is to appropriate $155,000 within the Franklin County Municipal Court for the purpose of funding positions related to probation services in the Domestic Violence Unit.
In 2016, the Franklin County Municipal Court (FCMC) made a commitment to become an evidence-based organization that follows the Risk, Needs and Responsivity Principle (RNR). The RNR principle tells the court who to target, what to target and to appropriately match offenders to programming as to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach.
The Department of Probation Services (DOPS) began a thorough review of the research and practices and began preparing for this paradigm shift. Part of the transition preparations included having the Domestic Violence Unit (DVU) conduct a thorough review of evidence based practices.
The DOPS remains committed and enthused about the potential impact of its evidence-based approaches to the supervision of DV offenders. Research has demonstrated that evidence-based treatment approach can yield a sizeable impact on recidivism (up to 30% in some studies); however, this paradigm shift has presented additional demands and challenges for the unit.
In order to provide the most effective supervision for this population and engage in risk-reduction activities in a timely manner, it was necessary to reduce the time that each officer spends on the assessment function each week. In late 2017, Council passed Ordinance 2700-2017, which appropriated funds for additional personnel in the DVU that would allow for the appropriate level of supervision for the highest risk offenders. This ordinance will allow for the retention of those personnel so that DOPS may continue to conduct its evidence-based, risk reduction efforts.
FISCAL IMPACT: Total cost of the appropriation is $155,000.00 and is available in the 2019 budget within the Public Safety Initiative subfund, Fund 1000-100016.
EMERGENCY DESIGNATION: Emergency action ...
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