Court Services
Mission Statement
Under the authority of the Kansas Judicial Branch and the laws of the State of Kansas, the purpose of Court Services is to carry out the orders of the court in a timely, professional, and ethical manner consistent with community interests. This is carried out by completing the responsibilities of court reports and supervision, which holds offenders accountable for their behavior, promotes public safety and improves the ability of offenders to live more productively and responsibly in the community.
Court Services Officer
Today's court services officer is a professional, rendering specialized services to clients and citizens. Court service officers have varied levels of education and experience, with at least a Bachelor's Degree in corrections, counseling, criminology, psychology, social work, sociology, or a closely related field.
Court services officers possess a diverse range of skills, including a thorough working knowledge of the criminal and juvenile laws, as well as psychological and social dynamics of human behavior.
Duties
There is a wide diversity of duties required of a particular court services officer, depending upon where he or she is located. The court services officer in the rural area must provide all services requested by the court, as well as traveling to render services to all areas of the judicial district. In urban areas, the court services officer generally is highly specialized in one area of service provision.
The 21st Judicial District Court Services is responsible for the supervision of both juvenile and adult offenders in Riley and Clay Counties.
Services Provided
Court services officers are tasked with providing a host of services at the courts' directive including:
- Probation supervision
- Pre-dispositional reports
- Pre-sentence investigation reports
- Home studies
- Domestic investigations
- Child in Need of Care supervision
- Bond supervision
- Work release
as well as serving as the court's primary referral source to community service providers in the areas of substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Monetary Values
During the calendar year 2009, the average monthly population of offenders under court ordered supervision was 450. Restitution of $95,080.84 was collected and paid out to victims; $227,382.75 of other fees (fines, costs, attorney fee reimbursement, etc.) was collected for a total of $322,462.59, averaging $26,871.65 per month.