Budget cuts straining federal probation officers
Elaine Silvestrini | Tampa Bay Tribune | Published on 9/13/2013
TAMPA - As Congress prepares to debate continued sequestration of the federal budget, court officials say cuts to their budgets have already jeopardized public safety and further expected budget slashing will make things worse.
Probation and pretrial services officials, who are responsible for tracking people in the community who are accused and convicted of federal crimes, say they have had to scale back on testing and treatment and are struggling to provide necessary checks.
Chief Judge Anne C. Conway joined 86 other chief federal judges in writing Vice President Joe Biden about their concerns over the effects of sequestration on the courts, including in probation and pretrial services. âOur current staffing level is the lowest has been since 1999 despite significant workload growth during this same period of time, the letter says.
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