Manatee County Neighborhood Services is pleased to report that the Pretrial & Probation Division received unanimous approval this week by the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission for three-year reaccreditation.
This is the second time in a row that the Division has obtained certification, this time scoring 100% in compliance in all 78 applicable standards.
Accreditation is the certification by an independent reviewing authority that an entity has met specific requirements and prescribed standards.
The team went through a rigorous review process, made more cumbersome due to having to conduct it virtually.
As part of the on-site assessment, agency members and the general public were invited to offer comments to the assessment team on August 5 and 6, 2020. The assessors reviewed written materials, interviewed individuals and toured.
Ava Ehde, Neighborhood Services Director, said an accreditation program has long been recognized as a means of maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.
“Our Pretrial and Probation division truly elevates the profession. We are proud of their continued commitment in serving our County through consistently high-quality service standards,” said Ehde.
Manatee County's team of nearly 30 consists of probation officers and assistants who provide supervision of misdemeanor probation cases, pretrial release, offender work program and pretrial intervention involving an average of 1,400 clients per month.