What is Supervision?
Supervision is a way to monitor the activities and behavior of people released to the community by the federal courts or paroling authorities. The main goals of supervision are to enforce the court's orders, protect the community, and provide treatment and assistance.
In the federal court system, post-convicted persons may fall into three categories of supervision:
- Supervised Release is an additional term of supervision that must be completed immediately after a person completes his or her term of federal custody. In most cases, supervised releasees remain under the authority of their sentencing judge; however, supervised releasees may be assigned a new judge in cases of judicial retirements, transfer of jurisdiction, etc. Violations of supervised release are handled by the United States District Court.
- Probation is an alternative to prison that costs less than incarceration and gives people convicted of federal crimes the opportunity to live with their families, hold jobs, and be productive members of society. Probation is generally a less severe punishment than imprisonment, but still holds people accountable for breaking the law by imposing conditions during the term of probation. In most cases, probationers remain under the authority of their sentencing judge. Violations of probation are handled by the United States District Court.
- Parole applies to: a) persons sentenced in federal court for conduct occurring before November 1, 1987, b) persons sentenced by military courts-martial, or c) persons serving terms of supervised release imposed by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (under the Sentencing Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2000). Parole is a form of custody served in the community under the supervision of the Probation Office and under the jurisdiction of the United States Parole Commission. Violations of parole are handled by the Parole Commission.
Regardless of the category, persons on supervision are assigned a designated probation officer at the start of their term of supervision. The probation officer works with people on supervision by informing them of what the court expects of them, meeting with them at home and/or work, monitoring their compliance with the conditions the court has set for their release (or probation), and stepping in to assist with providing corrective action, if necessary.
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan shall order the standard conditions of Probation and Supervised Release in every case pursuant to Local Criminal Rule 32.2.
You must report to the probation office in the federal judicial district where you are authorized to reside within 72 hours of your release from imprisonment, unless the probation officer instructs you to report to a different probation office or within a different time frame.
After initially reporting to the probation office, you will receive instructions from the court or the probation officer about how and when you must report to the probation officer, and you must report to the probation officer as instructed.
You must not knowingly leave the federal judicial district where you are authorized to reside without first getting permission from the court or the probation officer.
You must answer truthfully the questions asked by your probation officer.
You must live at a place approved by the probation officer. If you plan to change where you live or anything about your living arrangements (such as the people you live with), you must notify the probation officer at least 10 days before the change. If notifying the probation officer in advance is not possible due to unanticipated circumstances, you must notify the probation officer within 72 hours of becoming aware of a change or expected change.
You must allow the probation officer to visit you at any time at your home or elsewhere, and you must permit the probation officer to take any items prohibited by the conditions of your supervision that he or she observes in plain view.
You must work full time (at least 30 hours per week) at a lawful type of employment, unless the probation officer excuses you from doing so. If you do not have full-time employment you must try to find full-time employment, unless the probation officer excuses you from doing so. If you plan to change where you work or anything about your work (such as your position or your job responsibilities), you must notify the probation officer at least 10 days before the change. If notifying the probation officer at least 10 days in advance is not possible due to unanticipated circumstances, you must notify the probation officer within 72 hours of becoming aware of a change or expected change.
You must not communicate or interact with someone you know is engaged in criminal activity. If you know someone has been convicted of a felony, you must not knowingly communicate or interact with that person without first getting the permission of the probation officer.
If you are arrested or questioned by a law enforcement officer, you must notify the probation officer within 72 hours.
You must not own, possess, or have access to a firearm, ammunition, destructive device, or dangerous weapon i.e., anything that was designed, or was modified for, the specific purpose of causing bodily injury or death to another person such as nunchakus or tasers.
You must not act or make any agreement with a law enforcement agency to act as a confidential human source or informant without first getting the permission of the court.
If the probation officer determines that you pose a risk to another person including an organization, the probation officer may require you to notify the person about the risk and you must comply with that instruction. The probation officer may contact the person and confirm that you have notified the person about the risk.
You must follow the instructions of the probation officer related to the conditions of supervision.