By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Just over a year after instituting a new program to monitor the progress of misdemeanor offenders in their probation periods, St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney Tom Daley said the program is improving the way the court system handles those cases.

In June of 2009, with the cooperation of the three District Judges and Sheriff Wayne L. Jones, Daley instituted the Misdemeanor Probation Program in an effort to better supervise misdemeanor offenders and assure that the provisions of their sentences are satisfied.

“We felt that we needed more accountability regarding the compliance of suspended sentences for misdemeanor offenses,” Daley said. “Prior to the program, there really was no accountability, and we were finding that many offenders slipped through the cracks and were not adequately completing the conditions of their sentence, whether it was paying a fine or participating in community service.”

Daley said the program initially focused on misdemeanor DWI offenses, but it has now grown to include other offenses such as theft, shoplifting, public nuisance and destruction of property.

“Our department of corrections did not have any way to monitor these offenders because they typically do not get jail sentences,” Daley said. “Under the old system, the offender would go before a judge who would say come back in six months and show proof, but there were always difficulties in getting people back or keeping tabs on them.”

In creating the system, Daley said he and his staff examined how other jurisdictions in the state handle these offenses. The programs typically include a coordinator who assigns offenders a specific schedule for when things need to get done or when fines need to get paid. In St. John Parish, that coordinator is Maj. Mike Tregre.

After going through the courts and seeing a judge, offenders report to Tregre, who then works with the offenders to make sure they satisfy the terms of the probationary period.

“We are allowing people to get through the justice system as easy as possible,” Tregre said. “We want them to get this behind them so that they can move on.”

Tregre said offenders are now required to check back with him monthly and provide updates on payment or community service participation. The offender must have documented evidence that they are fulfilling their probation requirements, or making efforts to do so.

“This makes them more willing to follow through with the demands of the probation,” Tregre said. “We usually allow six months, but if they are checking in with us regularly we can make arrangements to extend probation if needed so that they can work around their schedule if there is an issue. Fines are very costly and we understand that it takes a lot to come up with the full amount. If they make an effort, we make an effort.”

Daley said in the 14 months that the program has been in operation, 232 offenders have entered the program. Of those 232, Daley said 161 offenders were given more than 2,100 hours of community service, with 992 of those hours performed in St. John Parish.

“We coordinate with the Sheriff’s Office and Parish Public Works when assigning community service projects,” Daley said. “The program is saving the parish man hours while keeping the area clean.”

Tregre said the new program is set up so there is no excuse for non-compliance.

“We tell them that it is all on them,” Tregre said. “They are given a schedule and they are told when to check back and what to do. We have made it very simple for them.”