MARION SUPERIOR COURT PROBATION DEPARTMENT
The Marion Superior Court Probation Department is a unified, urban probation system which employs 294 employees on an operating budget of $19,400,000. The Department, which consolidated in 2005, supervises both juvenile and adult probationers in a de-centralized, community-based model at its downtown base (City-County Building), the Marion Superior Court Juvenile Court complex, and three easily accessible satellite office locations. Probation services are offered to both pre-trial and post-trial populations. The Department is administered by a Chief Probation Officer, Robert L. Bingham, and two Deputy Chiefs – Christina Ball and Leonard Simpson, who supervise three distinct divisions of operation. Judicial supervision is provided by the Hon. David Certo and the Marion Superior Court Executive Committee. In 2005, the Department committed to an operational emphasis on Evidence-Based Practices. The Marion Superior Court Alcohol and Drug Services programming is administered by Adult Probation and meets all requirements of certification through the Indiana Judicial Center. Since 2006, the Juvenile Probation Division has been engaged in the Annie E. Casey Foundation sponsored Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative to lessen reliance on juvenile incarceration in lieu of developing alternative community-based programs which provide better treatment results while not compromising community safety. The majority of juvenile probation officers work a school-based probation model from local high schools.