Pre-Trial Services Screener
Buncombe County's Justice Services Department is hiring for multiple Pretrial Services Screeners. These screeners will all work together to support our Pretrial Program and will report to our Pretrial Screener Supervisor. The Pretrial Program consists of 14 positions working at various levels to help Court Officials with their decisions in court cases by providing complete criminal background information and supports people who have been detained and released. This position typically completes first appearance, bond review, and enrollment interviews within the County's Detention Center, completes public safety assessments, conducts criminal record checks, and processes assignments from Court for pretrial supervision.
Pretrial screeners will work from an office located in the Judicial Complex at 60 Court Plaza in downtown Asheville, behind the old courthouse. The screeners work in person and frequently go back and forth between our Pretrial office, the Detention Center, and various courtrooms. The work schedule is Monday to Friday and is varied. Work can start as early as 7AM and go as late as 6PM with flexibility in the hours, with only occasional overtime required. We encourage employees to flex their schedule to work 40 hours per week whenever possible.
Free parking is provided for all County employees across the street in our parking deck at 164 College Street.
We expect to host interviews on or after April 28th and we hope to have individuals start work towards the end of May.
Purpose of the position:
The purpose of this position is to perform administrative and coordinative work assisting accused individuals with the various processes associated with the court system to alleviate overcrowding in the County Jail.
Minimum Education, Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): High school diploma or GED and four (4) years of paraprofessional experience; or Associate degree (60 college credits) and at least one (1) year criminal justice experience; or Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Additional Training and Experience:Certified Substance Abuse Counselor, Peer Support Specialist, or qualified mental health and/or substance abuse professional preferred.
License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation: Eligible to become Division of Criminal Information Network (DCIN) Certified is required; and the ability to obtain Certification as Pretrial Services Professional (CPSP) is preferred.
Essential Functions of the position:
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Conduct Pretrial Release screening at point of intake/magistrate level for arrested individuals.
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Check Jail Management Systems (JMS), National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Administrative Office of the Court Automated Criminal Infractions System (AOC ACIS) and NC Warrant Repository (NCAWARE) computer systems for criminal history and Failure to Appear history.
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Complete the Public Safety Assessment.
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Consult the Release Decision Matrix and recommend appropriate release conditions.
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Prepare Public Service Assessment Reports for use by magistrates and judges during the release decision process.
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Interview defendant to determine mental health, substance abuse and veteran status.
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Review daily jail roster and identify potential clients for bond review or pretrial release; perform brief record check on the NCIC computer terminals upon identifying potential clients and actual warrants for the charges are reviewed; run a misdemeanor report and distribute according to procedures.
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Interview prospective clients with regard to representation in court, extensively interview persons who choose to represent themselves with regard to their probability of making bond, place of residence, family ties, employment, pending charges, prior convictions, number of failures to appear, probation, and amount of cash on hand. Verify as much information as possible and present verified information in District Court.
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Prepare various reports and uses or distributes, as necessary.
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Conduct quality assurance reviews to ensure fidelity of the process.
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Perform other related duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
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Knowledge of practices and procedures of the court system and various ways to expedite the processing of inmates through the court system.
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Considerable knowledge of modern interviewing procedures and techniques.
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General knowledge of information verification techniques including the use of JMS, NCIS, NCAWARE computer terminals.
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General knowledge of local laws, ordinances and the North Carolina General Statutes pertaining to the commitment, confinement, and release of inmates.
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Ability to interview potential clients and verify information gathered.
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Ability to present accurate information in court in an appropriate manner.
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Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
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Ability to perform duties of the job independently.
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Ability to type with accuracy at the speed required by the particular position.
In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.
Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture, one that fully engages all of our employees, honoring and building on each employee's unique experiences, opinions, and perspective.
It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. In addition, Buncombe County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.
Applicants for employment are invited to participate in the affirmative action program by reporting their status as a protected veteran or other minority. In extending this invitation, we advise you that: (a) workers (applicants) are under no obligation to respond but may do so in the future if they choose; (b) responses will remain confidential within the human resource department; and (c) responses will be used only for the necessary information to include in our affirmative action program. We are a company that values diversity. We actively encourage women, minorities, veterans and disabled employees to apply. Refusal to provide this information will have no bearing on your application and will not subject you to any adverse treatment.
