Start probation off on the right foot by getting a clear understanding of what’s expected.

A couple of weeks ago, I described the Charlie Brown effect; the inability of defendants to remember what the Judge said at the time of sentencing. And I described how this could have dire consequences and why it is incumbent on the Court to provide probationers with all necessary information before they leave the courthouse. Probationers need to have a clear understanding of what’s expected of them so that they have a real opportunity to succeed — something that benefits everyone in the long run.

Use Your Court’s Website

To address the Charlie Brown Effect, we have created a separate webpage for probationers that includes a QR code they scan after sentencing. This was our first version, which we used for defendants sentenced to specialty courts. We no longer use this original page — instead, each program has its own page that participants can access from the home screen of their phones. These “apps” provide critical information to participants at no extra cost to the Court. https://www.smartsupervision.us/judge/schlegel/probation

Use Your Court’s Online Calendar

Online calendars not only give the Court the ability to send text & email reminders, they give the Court the ability to send follow-up emails and/or SMS. So create a generic email that goes out to every defendant an hour or day after court with a link to the probation webpage you design. Here is an example follow-up email: “Additionally, if you have been placed on probation and still have questions about next steps, please review this instructional video: https://www.24jdc.us/probation or contact your attorney. Jefferson Parish Public Defender’s Officer — (504) 364-****”

Build a Basic, No Code Chatbot

You could build a basic chatbot that guides the probationer through the post-sentencing process, which can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Remember to ask “why” before adding more questions and answers to avoid unnecessary complications. If you selected the right form builder, your chatbot will come at no additional expense to the court; otherwise, it may cost a few hundred dollars for a chatbot license. Here is an example of a simple bot we built for probationers. It’s embedded on the probation webpage we built. https://www.smartsupervision.us/probation1

Create an Instructional Video

You could also create an instructional video with a series of video answers based on predetermined questions … or do all three. As we know, some people learn better from videos while others prefer to read step-by-step instructions. This technology costs about $500/year depending on your volume. https://www.24jdc.us/probation.

If you want to get even more sophisticated, you can build a video chatbot with AI using the same license that gives feedback based upon the question asked by the probationer. This takes a bit more time, which I have not found. But I can’t wait to build my own video chatbot.

As can seen above, it’s about the process, not the product. Once you really understand your workflow, you can pick the technology that fits your process, budget and security requirements.

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