What is the intake process?
Juveniles charged with committing a criminal offence appear before the Magistrate’s Court. If they plead guilty, or they are found guilty, they can be sentenced to Probation, Community Service or a Combination Order. Once sentenced they are required to visit the Department of Probation with their parents for an intake session. The intake process takes place after the Court hearing. The intake process is a procedure by which information is gathered from the Juvenile probationers and their parent(s).

This includes social, medical and academic information. When the information is gathered the intake form is reviewed by the parent and client and then signed by the parent(s), client, and Probation Officer. The parent(s) will also sign a release of information form to consent to the release of information from other agencies such as Social Development. Weekly appointments are then scheduled at a convenient time for the Juvenile. In addition, if the Juvenile is still a student, the Department of Education is notified of the Probation period and scheduled appointments. A case conference with the school is usually scheduled within the first four weeks of a Juvenile being placed on Probation and the Juvenile’s academic reports are kept on file.
The following steps are the intake process in sequence:
• The Probation Order is read to the Juveniles and their parent(s) to ensure that the details of the Probation Order are understood.
• Next, an appointment is scheduled to meet with the Juvenile at the Department of Probation. At each visit to the Department of Probation, the probationers are required to sign the log book indicating their name, the time they arrived at the Department, the time of their appointment, the time they left their appointment and the date of the appointment. Dates are scheduled for weekly sessions at the Department of Probation in accordance to the probationer’s schedule. For the initial 3 months all probationers have to report to the Department of Probation weekly regardless of the offence.
• During the first session, the Juveniles are photographed and given materials to read such as the rules of Probation and the expectations of a probationer. A copy of the Probation handbook is given to both the parent and the probationer. Subsequently, the Juvenile signs a contract agreeing to the conditions of the Probation Handbook. The Probation Officer then creates a personal file for the juvenile. If a Pre-Sentence Report was not written prior to the intake process, a home visit is conducted within 1 or 2 weeks of the Probation Order. During a home visit, Probationer Officers observe inside and outside of the probationer’s home and complete a checklist for the department's records.
• A Supervision Plan is started and should be completed within four (4) weeks of the Probation Order being made. The Supervision Plan helps provide the Probation Officer with a plan of the needs of the Juvenile Probationer and the assistance he/she will need while on Probation. The objective of the Supervision Plan is to help the Probation Officer to be proactive and become familiar with ways to accommodate the Probationer from the start. It also helps the Juveniles to develop long and short term goals to guide them to become more positive and productive citizens. The plan is reviewed every three months and is called a Quarterly Assessment. When the Probation Order is drawing to an end, during the last 3 months, a Final Assessment is prepared. If the probationer has covered all areas identified during the previous quarter, new goals will be established for the next quarter until the expiration of the Probation Order. When a Final Assessment is completed, all documents including the Supervision Plan and Quarterly Assessments are placed on the file for record.
• During the sec
ond session, information gathering will commence. However, the parents are not expected to accompany the Juvenile Probationer to weekly sessions.
• During the third session, the framework for assessment and intervention are strategized and explored. The Supervision Plan will be completed at this time and read by the Juvenile. The Juvenile will sign the Supervision Plan and hold a copy in his/her possession.
• Sessions are continued until the expiration of the Probation Order. During subsequent sessions, the progress of the Probationer is closely monitored and strategies are employed to help the Probationer achieve their respective goals. In addition, the Probation Officer educates the Probationer on how to address and rectify issues in their lives through programmes on Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, and Decision-Making and other important life long skills and resolutions. If there is a need, Counselling is provided by the Correctional Services Counsellor.

The main objective of Probation is to rehabilitate and reintegrate offenders into society helping them to be more productive and contribute positively to society.

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