Office of Community Corrections
Pre-Trial Supervision
Pre-trial supervision is an option for the Court to consider when setting bond conditions for an offender; it allows for those charged with a criminal offense to be released into the community, while awaiting final disposition of their case. The frequency with which offenders are required to report to a Pre-trial Service Officer (PSO) is determined by an objective risk analysis tool, taking into consideration such things as their prior criminal history, current charge type, flight risk and stability within the community.
If you have been instructed by a judge to report to OCC, or Community Corrections for pre-trial supervision, you will need to call us at 269-383-6443 and speak with a Pretrial Services Officer to schedule an intake appointment. Please be ready to provide us with your name, call-back telephone number, case number and judge; if we are unable to answer the phone, please leave us a voice message with the same information and we will call you back to schedule an appointment. You must be on time for your appointment or you will forfeit your appointment slot and need to be rescheduled. You will also be scheduled for a drug testing intake, and you must bring payment for a drug test – see the second paragraph on the ‘Substance Abuse Testing’ (hyperlink, please) page for instructions. If you owe outstanding fees to OCC, you must make payment on the fees at the time of the intake appointment or set up a payment plan. You must have photo identification when you arrive for your appointment. Please complete the “OCC Supervision Intake Questionnaire” found on the ‘Forms’ (hyperlink, please) page, and bring it with you to the appointment.
A goal of the Pretrial Supervision program is to expedite the release of defendants from jail who have been assessed as requiring pre-trial supervision. The program allows for the appropriate supervision of offenders, while starting to engage the offender in rehabilitation and community re-integration, including referral to suitable treatment and community service programs. Progress and compliance with conditions of release are monitored and reported to the Court for review.
Offenders who require more intense supervision may be monitored with electronic equipment, such as GPS units, which provide PSO’s the ability to track the offender’s location, 24-hours-a-day, and set-up exclusion zones where their presence is prohibited. Additional electronic equipment could include alcohol monitoring devices which provide alcohol monitoring 24-hours-a-day, or devices which take breath samples at various intervals throughout the day. Offenders who are being monitored electronically may be required to report as frequently as every week. Importantly, the devices which are worn are not to be removed, as removal, circumvention or interference of an electronic device is a felony.
As with substance abuse testing, all clients reporting from the court for supervision must bring some form of picture identification to each and every visit. Kalamazoo County residents may visit the county clerk’s office to inquire about a county issued ID or visit a Secretary of State office to inquire about a state ID card.
Kalamazoo County believes that its early intervention model of pre-trial supervision provides an offender with an opportunity to demonstrate his/her engagement and commitment to successful rehabilitation and community integration. Often times, the courts use an offender’s success in pre-trial supervision to help determining whether, upon conviction, the offender should be incarcerated in the local jail or a prison facility, or provided with the opportunity to remain in the community and continue rehabilitation and re-integration.