*District Five is comprised of the following counties: Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward, and York.
York County Press Release
YORK – District 5 Probation serves York, Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, and Seward Counties. York County has the second-highest active number of probation cases among them all.
This past week, Carrie Rodriguez, head of District 5 Probation, met with the York County Commissioners to make her year-end report.
In 2024, York County had 555 active probation cases. That compares to the following: Platte County, 1,020; Boone, 57; Butler, 234; Colfax, 467; Hamilton, 229; Merrick, 194; Nance, 57; Polk, 43; Saunders, 540; Seward, 540.
Rodriguez explained how Probation has no control over the number of people served, as that is only by the discretion of the court.
District 5 employs 66 people and has an office in York County. The office space is provided by York County.
Rodriguez also noted York County’s probation number for 2024 was down from 607 the year before. But it was also noted how back in 2017, the number of people on probation was 290, in York County.
District 5 provides a myriad of services, including those regarding money management, behavior change intervention, trauma, anger management, employment services, parenting, crime victim empathy, dialectical behavior therapy, and more. Adult clients also have access to outpatient and residential treatment, GPS monitoring, continuous alcohol monitoring, transitional housing, and cognitive behavioral groups.
These classes are paid for the by the state and there are concerns about funding cuts in the next year.
Rodriguez also talked about Problem Solving Court – Judge James Stecker started a problem-solving court back in 2013. These courts are for individuals who are facing a felony charge related to a substance use addition, who are at high risk to reoffend. They participate in intensive treatment services, classes, stabilized housing, and pro-social support systems. They also have drug testing multiple days per week. Participants are in the program for a minimum of 18 months – at the end of that time period, if they meet all program requirements, their felony charge is dismissed. Rodriguez said studies show problem-solving courts are the “most effective form of intervention, with lower recidivism rates than traditional probation, jail, or prison terms.
She also explained how probationers have to come in for random drug testing on a regular basis. In 2024, they administered 3,827 drug tests in York County
She also noted that probation costs less than incarceration – juvenile probation (per person) costs $34.81 per day, and traditional adult probation costs $3.81 per day. Prison costs, on average, per inmate, $123.29 a day, and the average cost of county jail incarceration in District 5, per inmate, is about $79 a day.
Rodriguez also noted that if the state didn’t provide probation, it would cost just over $1 million for the county to provide all the services.
The county is required, by state law, to financially contribute to District 5 probation – the amount is determined based on population. That number will be $33,000 in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
York County Commissioner Chairman Randy Obermier said, “It’s a good thing our numbers decreased a little last year, but we still outpace (with the number of people on probation) two counties which are bigger than us.”
