NCJ Number
127833
Date Published
1990
Length
19 pages
Annotation
The Mentally Retarded Offender (MRO) Project in Hamilton County, Ohio offers intensive supervision probation to ensure public safety, to reinforce personal responsibility for crime, and to provide access to available community resources.
Abstract
The project's goal is successful completion of probation and the use of available community support to prevent recidivism. It is staffed by two job-sharing probation officers who specialize in supervising the MRO. Criteria for project eligibility are an IQ score of 75 or below on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and a demonstrated difficulty in daily living skills. Once the MRO is on probation, officers review court stipulations, psychological reports, and the presentence investigation to identify and prioritize problem areas. The typical MRO is a single, black male who is mildly retarded and between 18 and 23 years of age. The most significant aspect of the project is the amount of time allocated per offender to ensure he or she fully comprehends probation conditions. This time is spent because MRO's have adjustment problems with the criminal justice system, they do not fully understand the judicial process, they cannot adequately assist in their defense, and they show poor social adjustment. Recommendations to improve the MRO Project focus on enhanced support services, the development of a long-term halfway house for MRO's, training for correctional and community agency personnel in the identification and treatment of mildly-retarded MRO's, and substance abuse treatment. 9 figures