Clermont Municipal Court Adult Probation Department receives statewide recognition

The Clermont County Municipal Court Adult Probation Department is the recipient of the 2010 Clifford Skeen Award.

Clermont County Municipal Court Judge James Shriver and Chief Probation Officer Joe Ellison accepted the award on Sept. 30, presented during the annual Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

The Skeen award recognizes the department for operating the outstanding non-residential community corrections program in the State of Ohio; the Clermont County jail diversion program was selected as the winner from 47 community corrections programs across Ohio.

The Clifford Skeen Award is presented in honor of the late, eight-term Ohio representative, who sponsored the Community Correction Act passed by the Ohio legislature in July 1979.

The purpose of the act is to reduce the number of non-dangerous offenders being sent to state prisons.

"We are honored to have been selected for this recognition," said Judge Shriver. "Through enhanced probationary services including individualized case management, high risk offenders have the opportunity to make life changes that enable them to become law abiding citizens of our community."

Clermont Municipal Court was commended for facilitating a six-week in-house cognitive behavioral group that focuses on teaching offenders about various thinking disorders and cognitive restructuring measures.

"Probation officers not only enforce court ordered conditions - they dedicate time to developing assignments that teach offenders to anticipate high risk situations and reinforce treatment with relapse prevention plans," said Ellison. "The award is a reflection of the commitment our court has to delivering meaningful services to offenders to reduce the likelihood of new crimes and increase public safety."