State probation officials traveled to Washington on Wednesday to discuss that report from the National Institute of Corrections (N.I.C.).

 

The federal agency completed the probe following the murder of UNC student body president Eve Carson. The two suspects in that case were on probation when Carson was killed. One of the suspects is also charged in the murder of Duke graduate student Abhijit Mahato.

The NIC makes 35 recommendations including a “back to basics” approach. Eighteen of the recommendations are meant to improve operational effectiveness, and 17 address management and personnel issues.

 

The report shows problems with high caseloads and management. It also said a lack of technology and information sharing hinders the ability to keep track of high risk offenders. In the cases of Atwater and Lovette, there were "severe supervision and case management deficiencies" according to the report. Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said the Carson and Mahato cases helped shed light on the probation system.

 

"These kinds of cases really show us the frailties in the system and we just can't afford to let this happen,” Willoughby said.

 

Sharing information is one of the key issues to be addressed according to Willoughby. He said a person's history and status in the system needs to be accessible much more quickly.

 

"If the judges and magistrates don't have good information, they may release people that shouldn't be released. If the prosecutors don't have good information, they may not handle the cases as vigorously as they should be handled. So each of us has the need for information,” Willoughby said.

 

Willoughby said the issue of sharing information is already tested in Wake County. He said the legislature has allocated money for a pilot program that if successful, could be put in place across the state.

 

Meantime, some of the other recommendations from the N.I.C. include developing a quick screening tool to identify high risk offenders, improve training of probation officers and possible legislation that would allow probation staffers to access juvenile history information.

 

Representative Dan Blue, a Wake County Democrat, said he thinks the proposition to make juvenile records accessible would have to be fine-tuned.

 

"I think most people would be very reluctant to open wide the juvenile records,” Blue said.

 

But he believes the legislature would do what it can to make the probation system run more smoothly.

 

"It's our responsibility to make sure the citizens in this state are safe,” Blue said.

 

The final draft report will be released in a few weeks.