What is community supervision?
Probation Parole
One of the many realities that recently released people may face is community supervision.
Many people use the terms “probation” and “parole” interchangeably. However, they are different. Probation alone can be a sentence or can be added as part of a sentence in addition to confinement. Someone can be sentenced to probation and never see the inside of a jail or prison. Another might be sentenced to 3 years in prison with 2 more years probation, for a 5 year maximum sentence. If that person violates their probation, they risk serving the rest of their sentence in prison.
Parole, on the other hand, is for people who have been sentenced to prison. Once they serve a specified amount of time, the state parole board may review their case and offer them the opportunity to serve the remainder of their sentence in the community. This allows people serving long sentences, who have become accustomed to the structure of prison life, to ease back into the community with some level of structure.
Probation and Parole are both forms of Community Supervision.
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Conditions
Regardless of the type of community supervision, an officer is assigned to each parolee or probationee.
The officer ensures that people are in compliance with the conditions of their sentence.
In Lebanon County, these are the conditions of community supervision that people are required to maintain.
Click on each one to get resources to remain in compliance.
There are different levels of community supervision. Whether someone is at the lowest level of supervision: ARD - accelerated rehabilitative diversion program or the highest level - very high supervision, there are requirements to prevent revocation and return to jail. These requirements are called conditions.
In all cases, it is required to check in with an officer. In some instances, it is acceptable to complete this task online through a portal, and in other cases, it may be required to meet the officer in their office. Officers may also be required to meet their clients in “the field” (in the community), and they may be required to check in with a friend or family member. In most cases, additional conditions are also required.
