By C1 Staff
BISMARCK, N.D. — With a rise in inmates and prison releases in the last two years, the Bismarck Parole and Probation Office has had their hands full.
KFYRTV reports that 700 inmates entered the prison system, and 200 were released into the probation and parole system.
Parole, probation and drug court officers supervise more than 1,700 cases a month.
Program manager Rick Schuchard spoke with KFYR about the steps the office is taking to ensure that probationers and parolees are meeting their release requirements.
“It largely comes down to their risk level and where they are in their sobriety and how well they’re doing on supervision,” he said.
Extra precautions are being taken to ensure offenders provide their own urine for required drug tests.
Parolees and probationers are patted down to reassure officers they aren’t carrying any kind of contraband or fake samples, and a same-sex officer goes with them into the bathroom and observes the sample being taken.
Officers say that most offenders make a real effort to change.