The Bureau of Planning and Development is responsible for researching new initiatives, best practices and models for the department, seeking funding through federal, state and local grants, and analyzing statistical departmental data as well as state and national trend data.

The bureau coordinates and plans staff development. It also develops and implements the department’s comprehensive training program, which involves developing, planning and coordinating mandated training programs in accordance with the New York State Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives and New York State Division Criminal Justice Services, the Westchester County Department of Probation, and the New York State Probation Officer’s Association.

The bureau ensures that the department’s 150 plus sworn probation officers and supervising probation officers receive yearly mandated training, and that other training opportunities relating to field operations (i.e. substance and alcohol abuse, sex offences, domestic violence, DWI, gangs, motivational  interviewing, etc.) are offered in a manner that expands and enhances staff development and improves the workforce quality.

The bureau facilitates education and training based on evidence-based practices comprising eight principles that can be elemental in bringing about change in offenders with the hopes of remaining crime free.

Another component of the bureau is the Criminal Justice Advisory Board. The advisory board oversees and monitors alternatives to incarceration programs that are funded through the Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives.

The Westchester County Probation Department works hard to:

  • protect the county's residents and visitors by providing a balance of prevention, intervention, and control strategies for offenders, victims and families, and 
  • enforce the orders and conditions imposed by the courts

The Probation Department follows eight evidence-based principles adapted from the American Probation and Parole Association and designed with the intent to bring about effective interventions. They are explained below.  You may click on the image above for a larger view of the schematic depicting these eight evidence-based principles.

Assess actuarial risk/need
Offenders are not alike. It's our job to determine offenders' risks and needs and address them both in hopes of reducing the likelihood of offenders committing the same crime again or another a different one.

Enhance intrinsic motivation
Discover ways to positively motivate offenders to change their behavior. We need to continually improve our skills in working with offenders so we can assist in positive behavioral change.

Target intervention
Provide effective interventions matched to the criminogenic needs of offenders according to the principles of risk, needs, and responsivity.

Improve training skills
Use cognitive behavioral methods when appropriate and allow staff to model pro-social behavior and offenders to practice the pro-social behavior.

Increase positive reinforcement
We need to continually practice positive reinforcement among offenders: positive reinforcement can bring about positive behavioral changes.

Engage ongoing community support
We have found that pro-social family networks increase available resources and reinforce positive behavior. We must continue to work with offenders and their families to make appropriate (positive) change rather than isolate offenders from supportive family environments.

Measure relevant practices
Collect data to determine how a program is affecting behavior changes among offenders as well as its effect on staff performance. Measurement of agreed-upon variables assists us in showing the level and degree of offender change and staff involvement using evidence-based practices.

Provide measurement feedback
Encourage behavior change by providing feedback to offenders and Probation staff as well as those who fund the programs.

In 1984, New York State enacted the "Classification/Alternatives" law to:

  • help counties reduce overcrowding pressures in local jails
  • facilitate more efficient and practical jail population management, and
  • promote the development and implementation of alternatives to incarceration.

The legislation required counties to establish criminal justice advisory boards and to submit annual service plans that would serve as the funding mechanism for alternatives to incarceration programs.

The county's original board was comprised of 16 members. However, in 1998 board membership was expanded and its mandate broadened to include the implementation of Westchester County's "Action Plan to Correction Overcrowding." In addition, the Criminal Justice Advisory board was charged with the responsibility of

  • monitoring the county's criminal justice system
  • developing on-going strategies to reduce persistent overcrowding
  • implementing programs to achieve that goal.

The current Criminal Justice Advisory board is comprised of approximately 30 members representing various criminal justice and community agencies including the judiciary, law enforcement (police, correction, probation, parole), district attorney, mental health, youth bureau, legal aid, drug/alcohol treatment and educational providers.

Westchester County receives state assistance that the Criminal Justice Advisory Board uses to support numerous programs. Collectively, these programs save the county taxpayers over $100 million annually from incarceration costs. These programs are summarized below.

  • Pre-Trial Services ROR Program - screens offenders in local and county courts; researches background to determine whether the individual is a good risk for release and makes a recommendation to the court.

  • Bail Expediting Program – screens persons detained at the jail and women's unit who are being held on bails of $5,000 or less and free of pending warrants. The program conducts interviews to establish name, relationship and phone numbers of all possible sureties and coordinates the expenditures posting of bail and/or bond.

  • Monitored Release Program (MRP) – screens clients at the jail and at local court for eligibility, receives court referrals for intensive monitoring by means of GPS, Call In and In Person Reporting.

  • Youth Opportunities Program – The Youth Opportunities Program will prepare youth for positive, successful lives through assistance in developing compensatory skills to deal with problems they will encounter upon their reentry into the community. The program provides a structured environment for selected 18-24 year old sentenced and un-sentenced males in the Westchester County Department of Correction. The program will serve males, who will be available for 45 to 90 days of programming. The Youth Opportunities Program will provide support, safety, and security and encourage younger offenders to become productive members of their community.

    Objectives:
    • Provide risk assessment and individualized discharge planning for all programs participants.
    • Provide program services to 20 participants at all times.
    • Reduce the number of repeat offenders, aged 18-24 that enter the department of Correction.
    • Encourage younger offenders to accept responsibility for their criminal activities.
    • Implement an intensive Community-based aftercare component for all program participants.

  • Department of Probation Community Service Program - This is an alternative sentencing program that targets jail-bound felony and misdemeanor offenders referred by probation officers, defense attorneys and prosecuting attorneys prior to sentencing.

  • Direct Treatment Alternatives to Incarceration (DTATI) Program – This program links all-day treatment service with specialized on-site probation supervision for alcohol and drug dependent probationers. The DTATI Program utilizes six sites: Greenburgh, Mount Kisco, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Ossining and Yonkers. This is a collaborative program including the Department of Probation, St. John's Riverside Hospital, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center and Lexington Center for Recovery.

  • Department of Community Mental Health – Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities (TASC) –Accepts referrals from all Westchester County criminal courts and provides a screening for those with potential mental health or substance use issues. Makes referrals to an appropriate program or provider where progress is monitored and disclosed to the appropriate Criminal Justice parties.