Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Corrections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Johnson County corrections staff outline person‑centered supervision seen in Georgia
Summary
County corrections leaders described a visit to Georgia and plans to adapt a person‑centered supervision model that shifts supervision into the community, prioritizes officer–probationer relationships and seeks better data and technology to free officers from administrative tasks.
Robert Sullivan, director of corrections for Johnson County, described a site visit to Savannah, Georgia, and outlined how a "person‑centered supervision" model used there could be adapted locally.
The presentation, given May 22 during the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners meeting, emphasized shifting supervision from office‑based check‑ins to more field‑based contacts, reallocating officer tasks and using technology such as virtual check‑ins for low‑risk probationers. "Field based supervision is very important — uncontrived information about a probationer's true environment," Sullivan said, adding that officers can then "connect them to effective care in a much more timely manner than office based supervision."
Why it matters: County leaders said the approach could improve public safety outcomes by focusing staff time on higher‑risk people and reducing reoffending, while using data to guide supervision decisions. Commissioners asked whether any changes would require state action and whether trauma‑informed care would remain part of supervision.
Sullivan said Johnson County is already using risk‑and‑needs assessments and evidence‑based practices and that Georgia's model goes further by changing workloads and priorities. "We're exploring...we're gonna have to collaborate with the Kansas Department [of Corrections]," he said, noting that the county tried to include a state deputy secretary on the Georgia trip.
Commissioner Brewer, who has served on community corrections advisory bodies, asked whether the county might include statutory changes in the board's legislative platform; Sullivan replied there "very well could be an opportunity" to submit recommendations. Commissioner Hanslik asked about trauma‑informed care; Sullivan said "Trauma informed care is still very much part of what we do" and described co‑creating supervision plans that account for trauma, particularly where substance use is involved.
Discussion also touched on local barriers such as data systems, staffing levels and existing Kansas Department of Corrections standards and statutes. Sullivan said the county is testing some elements of the model locally and exploring collaboration with the state and community providers.
The presentation was informational; commissioners did not take formal action on the floor during the meeting.
