DeKalb County Court Services Swift, Certain, and Fair Probation

The Innovative Responses to Behavior in the Community: Swift, Certain, and Fair (SCF) Supervision Program provides state and local parole and probation agencies with information, resources, and training and technical assistance to improve responses to offender behavior in accordance with the principles of swiftness, certainty, and fairness to prevent recidivism and reduce crime in their jurisdictions.

The overall purpose of the SCF Program is to expand those principles and test new implementations of SCF responses to increase probation and parole success rates. Additionally, the SCF Program seeks to reduce the number of crimes committed by those under probation and parole supervision, which would in turn reduce crime, decrease admissions to prisons and jails (in a safe, responsible manner), and save taxpayer dollars.

The SCF Program is part of BJA's Innovations in Public Safety portfolio, also known as the "Innovations Suite." BJA's Innovations Suite of programs invests in the development of practitioner-researcher partnerships that use data, evidence, and innovation to create strategies that are effective and economical. This data-driven approach enables jurisdictions to understand the full nature and extent of the crime challenges they are facing and to direct resources to the highest priorities. The Innovations Suite of programs represents a strategic approach that leverages innovative applications of analysis, technology, and evidence-based practices with the goal of improving performance and making America safer.

The recipient will use funds to develop to expand its existing SCF program to provide services to clients who live in the southern rural portion of the county. Currently, 30 percent of the clients under SCF supervision reside in one of three Qualified Opportunity Zones where both the levels of poverty and crime are high. The SCF multidisciplinary team will specifically target ways to improve services in those areas to both combat poverty and increase public safety.

CA/NCF