Overburdened parole officers in Manhattan and the Bronx are handling dangerously high caseloads – raising the risk of ex-convicts returning to a life of crime and endangering New Yorkers, reports the New York Daily News. The Division of Parole’s guidelines allow for each parole officers to handle a weighted average of 40 cases. Cases are weighted differently depending on the level of supervision needed for a parolee.
The report shows 84% of parole officers in Manhattan and the Bronx have a caseload higher than 40, with the margin of the overload ranging from one to 45. Each year, roughly 8,700 formerly incarcerated people return to this swath of the city. Michael Murphy, a veteran parole officer with a current caseload total of 78, said the Division of Parole is in disarray.
Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/478932p-402771c.html