Wade Warren, retired Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer from the District of North Dakota, discusses the changes he has seen and spearheaded during his 25 years in service, along with lessons learned from 28 years of service in the Army National Guard, which included deployment to Iraq. Wade was an early adopter of evidence-based practice and worked to implement it in partnership with Canadian counterparts and researchers. He received the AO Director’s Leadership Award for his efforts to destigmatize officer stress and trauma, create opportunities for officers to seek help, and make officer wellness a national priority.

Off Paper – Episode 23: A Conversation with Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer Wade Warren (Ret., D.N.D.)

Dr. Marie Garcia is a Senior Social Science Analyst at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. She is co-author, with Jay Whetzel and Scott Anders, of the article “All Hands on Deck! Toward a Reentry-Centered Vision for Federal Probation,” published in the December 2020 issue of Federal Probation. In this episode of Off Paper, Dr. Garcia and host Mark Sherman discuss the outcomes of NIJ’s many years of reentry research and how those outcomes translate to the reentry-centered, holistic, systems-oriented approach to probation and pretrial practice recommended in the Federal Probation article.

Off Paper – Episode 22: Reentry Research at the DOJ’s National Institute of Justice – A Conversation with Dr. Marie Garcia

Jay Whetzel, criminal justice consultant and former Probation Administrator at AOUSC, Scott Anders, Director of the St. Louis (Mo.) County Jail and former Chief U.S. Probation Officer, and Marie Garcia, Senior Social Science Analyst at the DOJ National Institute of Justice, talk about their article “All Hands on Deck! Toward a Reentry-Centered Vision for Federal Probation,” published in the December 2020 issue of Federal Probation. The article describes a holistic approach to reentry work, from pretrial through presentence and postconviction. Chris Dozier, retired Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer for the district of New Jersey, describes why she believes that “Reentry Begins at Arrest,” and former BOP resident Shon Hopwood, now Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and Clark Porter, M.S.W., who serves as Community Resource Specialist for the Eastern District of Missouri U.S. Probation office, share their reentry experiences and what they think could make the process better for others.   

Available Formats

Off Paper – Episode 21: A Reentry-Centered Approach to U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services

To officers, understanding how they are trained and educated, and finding the right training opportunity among those offered by multiple agencies and actors can be confusing. Educators from the Federal Probation and Pretrial Academy, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, and the Federal Judicial Center discuss the training and education available to help officers navigate the complex issues they face every day, and to also help officers remain successful throughout their careers. Stephanie Denton, Chief of the Training and Safety Division of the Probation and Pretrial Services Office at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and Raquel Wilson, Director of Education and Sentencing Practice at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, join Mark Sherman, Assistant Division Director of Probation and Pretrial Services Education at the Federal Judicial Center, to untangle the what, where, and why of Probation and Pretrial Services Officer training and education. Also featured in this episode are Training Specialist Julie Capsambelis (Florida Middle Probation Office), Special Offender Specialist and Training Coordinator January Welks (Connecticut Probation Office), and Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer Robin Grimes (Ohio Northern Probation Office).

Off Paper – Episode 20: Demystifying Training and Education in U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services

Dr. Michael Siegel, Senior Education Specialist, Federal Judicial Center, created the Leadership Development Program for U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officers (LDP) in the mid-1990s. Since that time over 1,000 officers have graduated from the program, many of whom have gone on to lead their districts as chiefs, deputies, and supervisory officers. Through LDP and other programs, Dr. Siegel is, in large part, responsible for creating a culture of leadership in U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services. Over his more than thirty-year career at the Federal Judicial Center, he has conducted leadership seminars with virtually every part of the court family: judges of all kinds, clerks of court, court executives, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. His portfolio of programs and projects includes many other topics as well. In this episode of Off Paper, Dr. Siegel discusses LDP’s origins, the characteristics of good leaders, and his perspective on leadership generally and within the federal courts.

Off Paper – Episode 19: Dr. Michael Siegel on Leadership in U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services and the Federal Courts

U.S. probation and pretrial services professionals discuss the wellness challenges facing the system and the National Wellness Committee’s work to address them. Chair of the National Wellness Committee, Melinda Torres Felix discusses what it means to be physically and mentally well, where the Wellness Committee has been, where it wants to go, and the resources and help available to officers. Monica Mannino, Supervisory U.S. Probation Officer in the Eastern District of Missouri and Vice Chair of the Wellness Committee, Chief Wade Warren of the District of North Dakota, Chief Melissa Alexander of the Middle District of North Carolina, Tiffany Vega, U.S. Probation Officer from the Northern District of Illinois, and Johnny Alexander, U.S. Probation Officer from the Western District of Kentucky, also share their unique perspectives.

Off Paper – Episode 18: A Community of Caring: Wellness in U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services

This special episode discusses actionable strategies for improving mental health, increasing personal and professional productivity and fostering happiness in yourself, and those around you. Judge Jeremy Fogel, former director of the Federal Judicial Center and current Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, and Dr. Dacher Keltner, founding Director of the Greater Good Science Center, host of the Center's award-winning podcast, "The Science of Happiness," and professor of psychology at the University of California Berkeley, share their personal strategies for managing challenges and suggest manageable steps anyone can take to achieve a better sense of balance during unbalanced times.

BONUS Managing Health and Wellness During Covid-19 and Beyond

Retired chief U.S. probation and pretrial services officers Tony Anderson, Belinda Alexander-Ashley, Ph.D., and Yador Harrell discuss their personal experiences of racial bias in their lives and careers, their reactions to the killing of George Floyd and other unarmed Black men and women by police officers, and their suggestions for alleviating racial discrimination in the probation and pretrial services workplace.

Off Paper – Episode 17: Listening to Black Officers

Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt, professor of psychology at Stanford University and MacArthur “genius” award recipient explains that although our brains are “wired” to see differences, research shows that self-awareness and thoughtful and deliberate decision making can help end the subtle and subjective discrimination we see and experience in our personal lives and workplaces.

BONUS  In Session: Leading the Judiciary Episode 15: Understanding & Combating Racial Bias

U.S. probation and pretrial services officers January Welks and Jennifer Simone discuss how the pandemic has called for new ways of thinking and working, in some cases leading to positive change in both their professional and personal lives. Officers Welks, Simone, and colleagues across the country, on the front line of the pandemic, share the adjustments they make to remain healthy and safe while continuing to keep the wheels of justice moving.  Clinical psychologist Guy Bourgon, a second time guest, reacts to their stories and describes how knowing your "why" and being proactive, predictable, and people-focused can help officers manage crisis. He explains how being forced to implement new practices can move organizations and individuals past the inertia that impedes change, making them stronger and better.

Off Paper – Episode 16: Creativity During COVID-19: How Probation and Pretrial Officers Are Managing Crisis

Host Mark Sherman talks with bank robber turned Georgetown law professor Shon Hopwood about how the system can help and hurt an inmate’s return to society. Shon’s unusual legal journey began during a twelve-year stint in federal prison for robbing banks. While there, the U.S. Supreme Court granted review of two of his petitions, giving his life an unexpected turn. While on supervised release, Shon overcame many of the obstacles that stand in the way of most inmate’s successful reentry into society, to include finding a good job and attending the University of Washington School of Law on a Gates public interest scholarship. Today, he is a member of the bar, teaches constitutional and criminal law at Georgetown University Law School, and represents prison inmates before the federal courts. As a criminal justice reform advocate, he also lobbied successfully for the 2018 passage of the First Step Act.

Off Paper – Episode 15: Bank Robber Turned Law Professor Discusses Prison, Reentry, and Supervision

Host Mark Sherman talks with Judge Nancy Gertner (ret.) of Harvard Law School, Dr. Francis Shen and Dr. Judith Edersheim of Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Law, Brain, and Behavior, and FJC education attorney Cassandra Snyder about a unique educational initiative developed by the FJC and Harvard that is helping judges, pretrial services officers, and probation officers think through, in a science-informed way, the complex issues they confront every day, and develop alternatives that might serve as an antidote to the revolving door of the criminal justice system.

Off Paper – Episode 14: The Case of the Addicted Bank Robber: How the FJC and Harvard are Educating the Courts

Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer Christine Dozier of the District of New Jersey has become known for her unique philosophy that “reentry begins at arrest.” Chief Dozier served in that role for 15 years before retiring in October 2019. During that time she transformed her agency from being a traditional provider of pretrial services, to one on the cutting edge of innovation not just in pretrial work, but in in criminal justice more generally. Chief Dozier’s approach has enabled the District of New Jersey’s pretrial services office to become a leader in release rates and successful outcomes for individuals on pretrial supervision. She has taken a systems view, illustrating that an individual’s success on pretrial release can have a positive impact on their sentence, reentry to the community following incarceration, and post-conviction supervision. Host Mark Sherman talks with Chief Dozier about the present and future of federal pretrial services, and what she learned as a leader over the course of her tenure.

Off Paper - Episode 13: "Reentry Begins at Arrest": A Conversation with Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer Christine Dozier (Ret.)

In this episode of “Off Paper” Clark Porter talks about his journey and his work assisting returning citizens to make the difficult transition from prison to community. Clark Porter was arrested for robbing a post office in St. Louis at age seventeen in 1986. He was sentenced to thirty-five years in federal prison and ended up serving fifteen years. While on parole he received his bachelor’s degree in social work from Washington University in St. Louis. Soon after that, he obtained a master’s degree in social work from St. Louis University. Ultimately, Clark was hired as a community resources specialist with the U.S. Probation Office in the Eastern District of Missouri—the same office that supervised him while he was on parole.

Off Paper - Episode 12: A Conversation with U.S. Probation Community Resources Specialist Clark Porter

Chief U.S. Probation Officer Connie Smith and Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez, both of the Western District of Washington, will discuss the roles of the officer who conducts the presentence investigation and the sentencing judge; individualized sentencing and avoiding unwarranted sentencing disparities; and the importance of taking a science-informed approach in the presentence and sentencing process.

Off Paper – Episode 11: A Conversation About Presentence Investigation, the Presentence Report, and Sentencing

On this episode of Off Paper, host Mark Sherman talks to Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia, Kate Desmond, and Keith Murphy, who work together on the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice’s Smart Supervision Project—an effort to gather and use neuroscientific, culturally specific, trauma-informed research and information in the department’s work.

Off Paper – Episode 10: Smart Supervision Project, Multnomah County, Oregon

On this episode of Off Paper, host Mark Sherman talks to Dr. Robert Kinscherff, an individual whose career weaves together many of those threads. Dr. Kinscherff is a clinical forensic psychologist and attorney with more than thirty years of experience in forensic mental health. Mark’s discussion with Dr. Kinscherff explores the many facets of his training and experience and his observations on important issues in supervising justice-involved individuals.

Off Paper – Episode 9: Neurodevelopment, Adversity, and Trauma: What Research Tells Us and Why It Matters for Criminal Justice Professionals – A Conversation with Dr. Robert Kinscherff

This episode of Off Paper features a discussion of the new post-conviction supervision policy and its implications for federal probation departments, their leaders, their officers, their clients, and their communities. Guests include Chief U.S. Probation Officer and Chiefs Advisory Group chair Jonathan Hurtig (New Hampshire), Chief U.S. Probation Officer and Post-Conviction Supervision Working Group chair John Bentley (South Dakota), Deputy Chief Probation Officer and Working Group member Brad Whitley (M.D.N.C.), and Supervisory Probation Administrator Scott VanBenschoten (Administrative Office).

Off Paper – Episode 8: The New Post-Conviction Supervision Policy for U.S. Probation Officers

In this episode of Off Paper, Chief Elbert, Assistant Deputy Chief Katherine Tahja (S.D. Iowa), and Professor Matthew DeLisi of Iowa State University discuss the work of the Chiefs Research Group, research projects currently underway in several districts, and the role of empirical research generally in federal probation and pretrial practice.

Off Paper – Episode 7: The Role of Empirical Research in Federal Probation and Pretrial Practice

This episode of Off Paper is a conversation with Doug Burris about innovation and leadership in the criminal justice system. Mr. Burris has served for 17 years as the Chief U.S. Probation Officer for the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri.

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