[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12093-12094]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING OUR NATION'S COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS PROFESSIONALS

                                  _____
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2014

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize our nation's 
community corrections professionals for the invaluable contribution 
they make to public safety and restorative justice throughout our 
country.
  In the District of Columbia and nearly every community across 
America, thousands of women and men serve as pretrial, probation and 
parole officers or officials. As public servants, these Americans 
commit themselves to helping improve the lives of those involved in the 
criminal justice system, which ultimately results in stronger and safer 
communities for all.
  In light of the value and contributions of pretrial and post-
conviction supervision officers and entities, I am proud to stand in 
support and honor of Pretrial, Probation and Parole Supervision week, 
which commenced on Sunday, July 13, 2014, and will be celebrated 
through Saturday, July 19, 2014.
  I am sure that my congressional colleagues would agree with me that 
community corrections is an essential part of the American justice 
system. Our constituents who serve as community corrections 
professionals work tirelessly to uphold the law with dignity, while 
recognizing the right of the public to be protected from criminal 
activity.
  These individuals are responsible for supervising adult and juvenile 
offenders in the community. In many cases these trained professionals 
go above and beyond the call of duty by providing their clients 
supportive services or referrals to critical community-based resources, 
employment opportunities and housing programs Additionally, community 
corrections professionals provide services, support, and protection for 
victims, while continuously promoting the importance of crime 
prevention.
  Mr. Speaker, in the District of Columbia, community corrections and 
supervision services for D.C. Code offenders are carried out by the 
Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of 
Columbia (CSOSA) and the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of 
Columbia (PSA).
  CSOSA and PSA and their hundreds of pretrial and community 
supervision officers stand out as model community supervision agencies 
due to both their professionalism and their novel approach to enhancing 
public safety in the District of Columbia.
  CSOSA provides innovative criminal justice and community leadership 
through active strategic planning, trend awareness, and partnership 
building. On any given day, CSOSA is responsible for supervising 
approximately 13,000 individuals on probation, parole or supervised 
release, whereas PSA supervises roughly 20,000 defendants.
  The work that these agencies perform is vital and complex. 
Nevertheless, the community corrections professionals that comprise 
both CSOSA and PSA carry out their duties with skill, compassion and 
diligence, thereby serving as a true force for positive change for 
communities throughout the District of Columbia.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition and honor of Pretrial, Probation and 
Parole Supervision Week 2014 and the contributions made by community 
corrections professionals, I hope my colleagues will join me in 
thanking these public employees for the important services they perform 
in helping to safeguard and improve the quality of life in our 
neighborhoods.

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