Summit County Common Pleas Court is using a smartphone app to supervise probationers in a safer and more efficient manner during the pandemic, and possibly beyond.

Summit County Common Pleas Court is using a smartphone app to supervise probationers in a safer and more efficient manner during the pandemic, and possibly beyond.

With COVID-19 altering and limiting operations in the justice system, a northeast Ohio probation department is experimenting with technology to maximize its efficiency.

Summit County Common Pleas Court implemented a smartphone application with the goals of limiting foot traffic inside the Summit County Courthouse, simplifying the legal responsibilities for adult offenders on probation, and reducing the workload for its probation officers.

The program monitors up to 1,000 moderate-risk felony offenders on probation.

“Technology is being used throughout the country to enhance services courts provide. While I believe this is relatively new to Ohio courts, the use of a smartphone app as a tool in rehabilitating felony offenders has shown promising results,” said presiding Judge Amy Corrigall Jones.

The Outreach Smartphone Monitoring (OSM) app is downloaded to a probationer’s phone, and used for a variety of purposes. Those include video check-ins, location verification, appointment scheduling, court hearings and appointment reminders, text messaging, probation reports, and sanction/incentive scoring. Active GPS and blood-alcohol monitoring are additional features.

The court is utilizing the app as part of a one-year trial with funding from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Probation officers supervise an offender’s activity through OSM’s website. The company handles a large portion of the administrative duties, such as caseload management and video verifications. Should there be a violation, alerts and notifications are sent to the probation officer.

“The officer has the ability to simply set scheduled check-ins or engage in continuous and active engagement with the probationer. This not only saves time, it allows for swift response to offender behaviors,” said Kerri Defibaugh, the court’s director of offender services.

Before the app’s introduction, probation officers had been supervising offenders via videoconference and phone calls during the pandemic.

Court officials said they’ll modify the app to fit the needs of its probation department with the goal of expanding the service to all offenders.