Clothing items, toiletries needed for probationers

The Division of Criminal Justice Services of the Montgomery County Adult Probation Department is reponsible for providing supervision to misdemeanor and felony offenders. “That supervision ensures public safety by reducing the likelihood of continued criminal behavior,” says deputy court administrator Jim Yerkins.

The division’s specialized services include Drug Court; Veterans Treatment Court; Women’s Therapeutic Court; Secure Transitional Offender Program (S.T.O.P.) and Case Management.

“The community is served through the protection offered by the Division’s close supervision of offenders,” explains Yerkin, who says the division has formed a partnership with many Montgomery County agencies to assist in the habilitation of the offender.

According to the University of Minnesota’s Human Rights Center, habilitation and rehabilitation both focus on the act of learning skills. The primary difference between the two is that habilitation focuses on learning new skills, whereas rehabilitation focuses on regaining skills lost.

The probation department is collecting toiletries and clothing items all year long for those they serve. “Our offenders are in need of these items as they reenter the community after completing treatment,” Yerkins says. “Some of them have limited family support, live in supportive housing, or live on a fixed income.”

Requested Items include:

  • Socks
  • Shoes and boots
  • Underwear (ladies and men)
  • Coats
  • Blankets
  • Gloves
  • Belts
  • Shampoo
  • Deodorant
  • Combs
  • Toothpaste
  • Feminine hygiene products

Items can be dropped off at the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, 41 N. Perry St., Room 103 or the Reibold Building, 117 S. Main St., 10th Floor. Drop-off hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, contact Jim Yerkins at (937) 496-6596 or yerkinsj@montcourt.org

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Thanks, loyal readers! You are making a difference!


HELPING OUR COMMUNITY

Each week staff writer Meredith Moss profiles a non-profit organization in our community in need of specific items.

If your group would like to publish its wish list, contact Meredith: MMoss@coxohio.com

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