national association of pretrial services agencies
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Pretrial Services Management Team
Deputy Criminal Justice Director
Liza Maldonado
Administrative Services/
Case Management Unit Supervisor
Amy Kinsey
Administrative Assistant/
Clerical Supervisor
Yazmin Rivera
Intake & Investigation Unit Supervisors
Elizabeth Khin & Nicholas Stevens
Supervision Unit Supervisor
Ervin Gill
Lee County Pretrial Services is located on the third
floor of the Justice Center at:
1700 Monroe Street
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Main Office Line- (239) 533-8400
Fax- (239) 485-2733
Intake & Investigation Unit- (239) 477-1584
For more information on court programs within the
20th Judicial Circuit, please visit our website at
www.ca.cjis20.org
National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies
(NAPSA )
Code of Ethics
•Assist the criminal justice system in its dealings with
pretrial defendants to the best of my ability and
conduct myself as a professional at all times;
•Respect the dignity of the individual, be they
defendants, victims, or fellow criminal justice
professionals;
•Respect the dignity and integrity of the court;
•Respect the presumption of innocence of all
defendants, until proven guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt, and uphold the fundamental right of every
accused person who has been arrested and is facing
prosecution under the U.S. criminal justice system;
•Pledge that the information I provide to the court and
the decisions I make are as accurate and objective as
possible;
•Treat all people equally regardless of race, national
origin, disability, age, gender, sexual orientation or
religion;
•Protect the confidentiality of all information
obtained, except when necessary to prevent serious,
foreseeable, and/or imminent harm to a defendant or
other identifiable person (s);
•Avoid impropriety or the appearance of impropriety;
•Avoid any conflicts of interest and will not evaluate,
supervise and/or provide services to anyone I have an
existing relationship with, nor enter into a personal or
business relationship with anyone I evaluate,
supervise or provide services to;
•Continue to pursue my own professional
development and education to further my expertise in
the field;
•Promote the growth of pretrial services, as well as
encourage and cooperate with research and
development in advancing the field;
•Respect and promote the fundamental principles and
professional standards which guide pretrial services
and will implement these best practices to the extent I
am able;
•Refrain from providing legal advice to any pretrial
defendants; and lastly,
• Promise to conduct myself as an individual of good
character who will act in good faith in making
reliable, ethical judgments.
The Intake and Investigation Unit is a twenty-four
hour, seven-day a week operation, working around
the clock to interview defendants booked into the
Lee County Jail. The primary functions of the
Intake and Investigation Unit include the collection,
verification and investigation of demographic and
criminal history information, the assessment of risk
and need for every booked defendant, the
determination of indigence for interim appointment
of counsel and the presentation of this compiled
information to the First Appearance Judge to aid in
the release decision. The department additionally
implemented a Risk Instrument, validated through
the Pretrial Justice Institute, to determine level of
risk for each pretrial defendant. Pretrial officers
also continuously review all non-sentenced
incarcerated defendants prior to arraignment so that
appropriate, non-violent misdemeanor cases are
placed on a Jail Management Docket for potential
release from custody or early resolution of the case.
The Supervision Unit supervises all defendants
released on pretrial supervision and who enter
misdemeanor diversion. Pretrial officers assigned
to the pretrial supervision team monitor these cases
from arrest to disposition to promote public safety
and increase successful court appearance and
compliance with court ordered conditions.
Conditions such as no contact orders and random
drug and alcohol screens are enforced. Defendants
may be referred to diversionary programs and
external agencies when appropriate. Violations are
reported to the courts and court dates are confirmed
with defendants in an effort to decrease failure to
appear rates. Pretrial officers assigned to the
misdemeanor diversion team meet with defendants
to review Deferred Prosecution Agreements and
explain conditions and consequences of success or
failure, after ensuring eligibility for the program.
Cases are monitored continuously, encouraging
success through Administrative Review Hearings,
reminder letters and utilizing a community service
option in lieu of costs of supervision when
appropriate. If successful, the State Attorney’s
Office dismisses the case and discontinues further
court proceedings.
Differentiated Case Management practices were
developed in Lee County in January of 2008.
Procedures were established to improve predictability,
efficiency and timely disposition of felony criminal
cases in accordance with Florida Rules of Criminal
Procedure.
The Case Management Unit monitors and tracks all
cases at each stage as they move through the judicial
system. The primary functions of the Case
Management Unit are to facilitate early identification
and processing of diversion referrals and facilitate on-
time disposition of cases. Pretrial officers are assigned
to specific divisions and attend felony arraignments,
case management and pretrial conferences and trial calls
to facilitate court scheduling in accordance with time
goals. Status reports are provided to assigned judges for
each criminal division. Pretrial officers track and report
statistical data, including age pending and case
clearance reports, to measure success since
implementation of Differentiated Case Management.
Pretrial officers also research cases beyond time goals
to identify reasons for delay and assist where possible.
The pretrial officer assigned to the Felony Drug Court
Program attends staffing and court weekly to discuss
defendants’ progress, current treatment status and
recommendations to the court. The pretrial officer
tracks court outcomes and provides pertinent
information to the teams, such as custody or warrant
status and previous court outcomes, including prior
sanctions and rewards. Statistical data is also captured
and compiled to continuously monitor and improve
program goals and objectives.
Pretrial Services support staff perform crucial functions
to support each unit, including screening for indigence
after First Appearance, preparation of court orders and
files, tracking court outcomes and statistics, preparing
court date reminders for defendants released on
recognizance and tracking appearance compliance and
assisting the public at the front counter and via the call
center.
The Lee County Pretrial Services Department
originated in 1988 under the Administrative Office
of the Courts, 20th Judicial Circuit, providing case
management support to the 13 judges assigned to
the criminal division in Lee County, along with the
Chief Judge and Administrative Circuit Judge.
The mission of the Lee County Pretrial Services
Department is to provide comprehensive case
management services to the courts, from case
inception through case closure, via professional staff
committed to the highest standards of excellence.
The vision of the Lee County Pretrial Services
Department is to be a leader within the court system
by developing an empowered workforce that
embodies integrity, excellence, and accountability,
delivering the highest quality of services.
The Lee County Pretrial Services Department
earned accreditation in 2009 through the Florida
Corrections Accreditation Commission.
Accreditation has long been a means of maintaining
the highest standards of professionalism, increasing
the integrity of the criminal justice process and the
agency’s role. Accreditation allows for independent
verification of business practices, increasing agency
accountability while ensuring the agency is utilizing
best practices resulting in the most efficient and
effective operations.
The department is comprised of the Intake and
Investigation Unit, the Supervision Unit and the
Case Management Unit. Each unit has their own
core functions, but work collaboratively to achieve
common goals. The management team includes the
deputy criminal justice director who oversees the
entire department operations, the administrative
services supervisor who oversees program
development, training and accreditation, as well as
oversees the Case Management Unit, a pretrial
supervisor who oversees the Supervision Unit, two
pretrial supervisors who oversee the Intake and
Investigation Unit and an administrative assistant
who provides direct managerial support and
supervises clerical staff.