Court Services

Alternatives to Incarceration

Kentucky district courts have an inability to adequately supervise misdemeanor probation due to a lack of resources. Probation services only extend to a felony level. Due to House Bill 463, probation and other offender related services are a necessity.

Premier Judicial Solutions can give courts an alternative to incarceration. When jail is not believed to be warranted, a person may be put on probation. However, because the state has a lack of resources, many probation cases become file management. Judges are virtually unaware if an offender has carried through with the terms of their probation until that offender is before them again on a repeat charge.

Since the state does not have the financial capabilities needed to support the district courts with the ability to appropriately supervise misdemeanor offenders, a concept that requires offenders to pay for their own court-directed activities is essential in providing offender accountability, treatment, recovery, and public safety. Premier Judicial Solutions will ease the courts workload with effective, evidence-based practices that will result in positive outcomes and a decrease in recidivism.

KRS 533.010 states: “When the court deems it in the best interest of the defendant and the public, the court may order the defendant placement for probation monitoring by a private agency. The private agency shall report to the court on the defendant’s compliance with his or her terms of probation or conditional discharge. The defendant shall be responsible for any reasonable charges which the private agency charges.”

KRS 533.010 allows the courts to proceed with community-based supervision services that can focus on offender change and rehabilitation. By utilizing private agencies, the courts have shifted the financial burden of supervision to the offender resulting in significant savings to the taxpayers. The use of private agencies for supervision presents several advantages over mere fines or unsupervised probation.

Supervision Services

The spectrum of sentencing options has diminished to the point that there is little to offer between jail-time and basic supervision. While many offenders may need more than just basic supervision, they may also not need to be incarcerated.

Our “Alternatives to Incarceration” program can provide the courts with intermediate options for offenders that may need more than just basic supervision. The options can include progressive levels of monitoring from Drug Testing, to Continual Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM), to GPS tracking, in order to provide a level of supervision suitable for each offense. In many instances these programs may be offender-funded and there is the added benefit of financial savings to the local taxpayers.

Probation Violations

Alternatives to Incarceration can offer the courts the opportunity to address probation violators with progressive sanctions without the necessity of jail time. Our capability to provide Continual Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM), and GPS monitoring can allow the courts to impose curfews, stay away provisions, and alcohol monitoring as sanctions for those violations that may not rise to the level of incarceration. These programs can be utilized in both felony and misdemeanor cases. Often, these sanctions can be offender-funded and gives the added benefit of shifting the expense of sanctions from the taxpayer to the offender.

Home Incarceration

It costs approximately $50 per day, plus medical expenses to house most offenders in a local jail. In the interest of public safety, many offenders should be kept off the streets. However, many offenders charged with or convicted of non-violent offenses may be candidates for home incarceration. These individuals may need more than standard community supervision, but they also may not need to be in jail. As an alternative sentencing option, Premier Judicial Solutions uses GPS to provide constant information on the whereabouts of offenders. Faced with the high costs of housing inmates, home incarceration is an option that provides an accurate tracking system, from allowing an offender to go to the doctor or go to work, the GPS program can track an offender’s whereabouts day and night.

House arrest quickly notifies officers when offenders leave their homes. It also monitors and tracks them no matter where they are; at school, work, and most importantly anywhere in the community they aren’t supposed to be.