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Senate unveils plan to address Probation Department crisis

E-mail|Link|Comments () May 25, 2010 03:37 PM

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Senate leaders, responding to reports of patronage and lax oversight of spending in the state's Probation Department, said the Senate will pass a measure Wednesday to give the agency some oversight by the state’s top administrative judge.

The plan, announced at a press conference today, would limit the probation commissioner to a five-year term, require the chief justice for administration and management to approve any hiring or firing in the Probation Department, and give the judge power over 5 percent of the department’s budget.

The plan would also appoint a task force to recommend whether the Probation Department should ultimately be controlled by the judiciary or by the executive branch, a change favored by Governor Deval Patrick. The task force – which will be chaired by Attorney General Martha Coakley – would issue its findings on Oct. 1.

Senator Cynthia Creem, the co-chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee, said the measure would be approved Wednesday as an amendment to the Senate budget.

"We saw somebody with a lifetime appointment and no accountability," Creem said, pointing to the Globe Spotlight’s reports of widespread problems under Probation Commissioner John J. O’Brien, who was suspended Monday. “Here you have some joint accountability ... My expectation is you won't see these kinds of things happening.”

Creem said, however, that she had not spoken to Patrick’s office or House leaders about the plan.