Aitkin County Community Corrections

ACCC believes effective supervision and opportunity for change includes implementation of rehabilitative and restorative programs which assists offenders in shaping their skills and reducing their risk to re-offend.

Mission and Vision:

It is the mission of Aitkin County Community Corrections to promote public safety and victim restoration by holding offenders accountable, exercising an evidence-based model of correctional services, and actively providing offenders opportunities to become law-abiding citizens.

It is the vision of Aitkin County Community Corrections to reduce recidivism within our community and work with our local stakeholders and other Minnesota Correctional Agencies to promote positive change among our clientele.

Historical Facts:

MACCAC is an association of counties who operate corrections programming within their communities under the provisions of the Minnesota Community Corrections Act of 1973. Aitkin County was initially in a Joint Powers arrangement with Arrowhead Regional Corrections beginning in 1976 and later joined Crow Wing and Morrison Counties to form Central Minnesota Community Corrections in 1992. On July 1, 2016, that Joint Powers Agreement was dissolved and Aitkin County became a stand-alone community corrections act county.

Services:

Our department provides juvenile and adult probation and supervised release supervision, specialized supervision for sex offenders including participation by the agent in group therapy, juvenile diversion and restorative justice services, court monitoring services, cognitive-behavioral programming for clients, electronic monitoring, and drug testing.

Supervison:

Supervision of adult and juvenile clients can range from administrative monitoring to enhanced supervision by a Community Corrections Agent. The purpose of probation and supervised release is to engage the client and promote change to enhance the opportunity to remain law abiding. The Community Corrections Agent may have regular contact with clients in their office or have contact in their home, employment, school, treatment center, or other locations.

Programs:

As part of the rehabilitation process Aitkin County Community Corrections strives to implement programming for clients to support change. The following programs are currently operated by our department:

Thinking for a Change: Thinking for a Change (T4C) is an evidence-based program that develops social and problem solving skills through role-play demonstrations and other interactive activities for participants. The participants learn how to create change in their thinking and behavior in order to make better decisions in their everyday lives. T4C is led by two certified agents trained in the curriculum.

Cognitive Self-Change - Paying attention to the thoughts and feelings that go on inside of us to recognize risk and use new thinking to avoid trouble.

Social Skills - Behaviors or abilities we use in situations involving other people.

Problem Solving Skills - A set of skills to help us make better choices.

Driving With Care: Driving With Care (DWC) is a cognitive skills education program for clients convicted of driving with a blood alcohol level beyond the legal limit and/or while under the influence of another drug. DWC gives clients the knowledge and skills needed to change their thinking so they may change their actions and prevent future DWI/ DUI behaviors. DWC is facilitated by a Probation Officer trained in the curriculum.

DWC Level II is a 12-lesson, 24-hour education program with goals to:

o Prevent recidivism of a DWI/DUI and understand the laws.
o Prevent relapse of a harmful pattern of alcohol and other drug use.
o Develop responsible living for one’s self and the community.
o Develop positive change.

Maintain a commitment to oneself and society to never drink and drive.

Electronic Monitoring: A house arrest program, which utilizes electronic equipment to monitor the offender while they serve a custodial sentence at home.

Sobriety Court:

Sobriety Court handles cases involving non-violent drug and alcohol addicted offenders through intensive judicial supervision, case management, treatment, chemical testing and graduated sanctions and incentives. While Sobriety Courts vary, all share an underlying premise that drug use is not simply a law enforcement or criminal justice problem, but a public health problem with roots deep in society. The Aitkin County Community Corrections Department has an agent on the Sobriety Court Team.

Sobriety Court is a team approach that brings together a number of interveners (judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, treatment professionals, community corrections, law enforcement, educational and vocational experts and community members) to require a client to deal with his or her substance abuse problem. Personal accountability is an important aspect of Sobriety Court. The program rules are clearly defined and outlined in a handbook that is provided to each participant. A combination of rewards and sanctions are used to motivate and encourage participants toward recovery.

Contact Information:

Office Hours & Location:
Community Corrections Office
Aitkin County Judicial Center
209 2nd St NW – Room #178
Aitkin, MN 56431

Phone: (218) 927-7281
Fax: (218) 927-2142

Office Hours:
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
(closed on holidays)

Staff Contacts:

Kameron Genz
Director
Email: kami.genz@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7202

Samantha Anderson
Community Corrections Case Aide
Electronic Monitoring/Fee Collections
Email: corrections@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7281

Jacob Leonhardt
Community Corrections Agent
Juvenile Supervision and Diversion Services
Email: jacob.leonhardt@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7231

Crystal Koonce
Community Corrections Agent
Adult Supervision
Email: crystal.koonce@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7206

Taylor Rickmeyer
Community Corrections Agent
Adult Supervision
Email: taylor.rickmeyer@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7427

Janet Tougas
Community Corrections Agent
Adult Supervision
Email: janet.tougas@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7299

Andy Walsh
Community Corrections Agent
Adult and Sobriety Court Supervision
Email: andy.walsh@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7394

Chelsea Coombs
Community Corrections Agent
Adult Corrections Agent and EHM
Email: chelsea.coombs@co.aitkin.mn.us
(218) 927-7227