The Westchester County Department of Probation is a law enforcement agency that annually handles cases involving more than 1,000 youth in the Family Court system and more than 6,000 adults in the criminal courts.
The mission of the Department of Probation, as a law enforcement agency and a partner in the criminal justice system, is to protect the people of Westchester by providing a balance of prevention, intervention, and supervision strategies for offenders, victims, and families, and to enforce the orders and conditions imposed by the courts. The Department is committed to the protection, safety and quality of life in the communities we serve. We provide information, access, and recommendations to the courts and other authorities, enforce court ordered sanctions, respond to the needs of victims, assist families in crisis, and help offenders to change. In Westchester, monitoring takes the form of residential contacts, drug testing, making sure the offender attends counseling sessions and helping offenders to find suitable housing and employment.
The department prepares pre-sentencing reports for judges, monitors and enforces compliance with probation conditions, respond to the needs of victims, assist families in crisis and help offenders to change. For more than two decades, county probation officers have also collected from $750,000 to $1 million annually in court-ordered restitution for victims of crimes.
The goal is to promote public safety and at the same time hold offenders accountable for their actions. The department works closely with numerous criminal justice agencies, including the District Attorney’s Office, and many social services agencies.