Electronic Petitions to Revoke: Enhancing Public Safety and Efficiency

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The Maricopa County Adult Probation Department (MCAPD) supervises individuals placed on probation by the Superior Court for felony or misdemeanor offenses. The adult probation caseload in Maricopa County exceeds 54,000. Probation officers initiate a petition to revoke probation to inform the court when an individual is in violation of the conditions of probation and a warrant is requested. The goal of the Electronic Petition to Revoke (ePTR) project was to create a paperless system to deliver documentation from the probation officer to the judicial officer informing of violation behaviors and to improve the timeframe for posting arrest warrants. This ground-breaking e-filing project involved cooperation and data integration across multiple county and state agencies. Since implementation, an average of 3,278 petitions to revoke probation have been filed electronically each quarter, and MCAPD-Court processing time for petitions to revoke/warrants has been dramatically reduced from 12 business days to generally one business day. The automated process has saved significant staff time and departmental resources, while enhancing public safety. Processing petitions to revoke and obtaining warrants faster means that probation violators can be arrested and removed from the community sooner, reducing the risk of victimization and harm to the community.