TALLAHASSEE — Governor Ron DeSantis proclaimed July 18 – 24 as Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision Week. To celebrate this proclamation, the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) proudly recognizes Community Corrections staff for their unwavering commitment to upholding public safety.

“Correctional Probation Officers keep Florida communities safe through a unique approach combining the duties of a law enforcement officer with that of a social or community provider,” said Secretary Mark Inch. “Through this approach, probation officers provide a successful path to restoration for offenders, while enforcing a firm line of expectations. This annual week of recognition allows us to thank these dedicated professionals for their contributions to public safety and commend them on their incredible performance during the last year.”

Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, FDC did not allow supervision of offenders in the community to be compromised. Since March 2020, FDC probation officers conducted more than 1.3 million field contacts in the community, 850,000 office visits, 200,000 residential walkthroughs or searches, and 235,000 on-site drug tests.

FDC’s Office of Community Corrections supervises more than 145,000 individuals and ensures compliance with court-ordered conditions of probation, conditional release or pre-trial intervention sentences. Officers also provide offenders with the tools, support and resources needed to successfully complete their sentence. By monitoring court ordered compliance with victim restitution, substance abuse treatment, mental health programs and other services aimed at reducing recidivism, probation officers and support staff are an integral component of Florida’s criminal justice system.

For further insight into the career of a probation officer, watch our FDC Community Corrections video. For more information regarding the Department’s Office of Community Corrections, please visit our Community Corrections webpage at www.dc.state.fl.us/cc/index.html.