The federal Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency overseas a standing population of 16,000 on probation or parole. And it’s Tom Williams’ job to help them integrate into the community. But as an associate director of community supervision services, Williams also must work closely with law enforcement to track down the one-third who end up back behind bars.
Before coming to D.C. 10 years ago, you were the director of Maryland’s parole and probation. Why did you make the move?
Recommended Stories
The main reason was the amount of resources available. A lot of states have tight budgets. … In D.C. there was an opportunity for more resources and an opportunity to help reduce crime in violent neighborhoods.
What challenges do you face?
There are some violent neighborhoods that released inmates return to that are not supportive for integration. We try to get people into transitional housing when we can.
How do you keep track of the 16,000?
We work closely with law enforcement. We meet weekly with each district station and let them know who we’ve released into their coverage area. Police officers also join us when we meet with them. It gives the police an idea of who is in their community and former inmates an idea of who the officers are.
What happens when they stray from the law again?
Law enforcement has access to our databases. They can bring a suspect who has a “mother” tattoo on his left bicep and we can print them out a list of everyone who has gone through the system who meets that description. … We also use (Global Positioning System) devices on non-compliants so we can track them in real time. … A GPS monitor can show us if a sex offender is hanging around a Little League baseball park, and we might bring him in for questioning.
