A “double-benefit” is how Gerome Finn described Oconto County’s Volunteers in Probation program.
The program, an alternative to jail or state probation for first-time offenders of nonviolent, misdemeanor crimes, helps rehabilitate first-time offenders (benefit No. 1) at no expense to county taxpayers (benefit No. 2).
“The main thing is there is more of an individual, personal relationship between the agents and the clients where we can meet them and work with them,” said Finn, comparing VIP to state probation. “For that reason, and also financially, I think it is a great program.”
It’s a “great program” in need of more volunteers, said Joe LaFortune, VIP director who has worked with the program for 11 years.
VIP was established in 1997 by Larry Jeske, a circuit court judge, and modeled after an Outagamie County program begun in 1971.
Finn is the president of the board of directors for Partners in Justice, an Oconto County-based organization that governs the Volunteers in Probation program.
LaFortune said the selective nature of the program makes it a privilege for offenders to be sentenced to its services.
“We monitor them on probation just as the state probation agent would, but we have a little bit more selectivity and leniency that we are allowed than the Department of Corrections,” he said.
VIP agents work with as many clients as their time allows. Some meet monthly with just a couple, while others are paired with as many as 20 offenders. About 50 offenders are in the program now, down from nearly 200 in past years.
“It’s not for everyone. It’s for the least serious cases,” Circuit Court Judge Jay Conley said.
He said the program is helpful for first offenders and those who need to complete court-ordered treatment plans or pay restitution.
“For some young people, at its best, it’s almost like a mentoring program, where this agent steps in as kind of a big brother, big sister-type thing and encourages this kid to straighten out,” Conley said.
When deciding if an individual case is appropriate for VIP, he said he first considers protection of the community.
A judge might sentence offenders to VIP for six months to a year, and offenders coordinate with VIP field agents to complete court orders such as community service, anger management assessments, and drug and alcohol evaluations.
Offenders on VIP receive a fine of no less than $250.
“That fine is what we use to operate the program as compared to getting money from the county,” Finn said. “It is completely separate from that, and that is why it is so good, because we are not spending taxpayer money.”
The seven agents who work with the clients in Oconto County do not earn a salary but are reimbursed for their monthly expenses.
“It’s completely self-sufficient so it doesn’t cost the taxpayers any money, whereas the Department of Corrections, jail, is all paid for by the taxpayers,” LaFortune said.
LaFortune said the rewarding part of volunteering is getting in touch with first-time offenders before they turn to more serious crimes.
“I have had a lot of people that have thanked me for the privilege of being on VIP and the help we gave them, and they said it’s made a big difference in their lives,” he said.
If another charge is picked up by an offender on VIP, the VIP agent and the district attorney make a recommendation to the judge, who ultimately determines if the offender will remain on VIP.
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