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Although
probation programs in Arizona are operated at the county level, the State, through the
Supreme Court’s Administrative Office of the Courts, retains administrative
responsibility for all court programs. The Division’s primary responsibilities in
overseeing adult probation programs are to distribute state monies for programs such as
standard and intensive probation, and to perform a variety of oversight activities to
ensure the State’s contribution is used to increase the effectiveness of all county
probation programs. This report addresses the Division’s role in overseeing the
various aspects of adult probation service provisions including funding distribution,
compliance with statutes involving caseload ratios, and probation service fees.
Specifically, the report notes that funding for both the standard and intensive probation
programs has been overestimated for fiscal year 1999. Auditors discovered that Maricopa
County overestimated the number of probationers actively supervised in January 1998 by
more than 4,400 cases. This had a potential budget impact of $3.6 million. Additionally,
inaccurate projections of the number of intensive supervision probationers has resulted in
the Division overestimating the need for state funding. Moreover, the report notes that
the Division needs to provide greater oversight of the collection and use of probation
fees. Currently, the Division cannot adequately monitor and assess county efforts in
collecting probation fees from probationers nor has it ensured that the fees, once
collected, are fully used.
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