Today is a sad day for the great State of Rhode Island. We lose one of our finest, U.S. Probation Officer Mike Primeau, who is transferring to a federal probation district in California.
Mike Primeau is numero uno, so perhaps it is fitting that he will be living near another famous #1, the Pacific Coast Highway. We wish Mike all the best, and take a moment to reflect on his accomplishments and all the work that he and his federal probation colleagues do on a daily basis. (Full disclosure: the author worked with Mike in the past on the H.O.P.E. Court program and co-authored a law review article with him).
U.S. Probation Officers have a tough job and they labor outside the public eye with minimal recognition. They work with a clientele who mostly doesn’t want them around. They interview criminal defendants during the pre-trial phase, meet with the judge before the bail hearing to assess risk of flight or danger to the community, and supervise criminal defendants who are released on bail pending trial. If a defendant is convicted, they draft highly detailed pre-sentence investigation reports to aid judges in crafting sentences.
Sentences in the federal system come in two basic varieties: incarceration followed by terms of supervised release with “conditions,” or no incarceration and a sentence of probation with “conditions.” (There are some nuances to this — for example, a sentence of probation can include very short periods of intermittent confinement where the person spends weekends in custody but remains on probation). The vast majority of federal sentences consist of prison time followed by a term of supervised release with “conditions,” which kick in after the Bureau of Prisons releases the convicted defendant from prison (or sometimes a halfway house). U.S. Probation Officers have a confusing job title because very little of what they do is actually supervising people on probation. Mostly it’s defendants on bail pre-trial, or convicted defendants on supervised release.
Supervised release terms after prison usually run from 1-5 years, and probationary sentences can last up to 5 years. During these periods, the convicted defendant is not in jail but is not entirely free either, and it is up to the U.S. Probation Officer to monitor the conditions of the release. Some conditions are mandatory depending on the crime and others are discretionary. The judge imposes them at the time of sentencing, before the convicted defendant begins a prison term, although they can be modified later. Typical conditions include drug and alcohol testing, no possession of a firearm, not leaving Rhode Island without permission, mental health counseling, disclosing any contact with law enforcement, location monitoring, and reporting to the probation officer as directed.
If a convicted defendant fails to follow the conditions during the term of supervised release or probation, the probation officer can bring the violations to the attention of the judge and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which can result in a violation hearing. If found guilty of violating the “conditions” of the sentence (which themselves are not necessarily crimes — for example, leaving Rhode Island is not a crime), the judge can either impose stricter conditions or send the person back to prison, usually for a shorter period of time than the original period of incarceration for the underlying crime.
U.S. Probation Officers operate in a challenging environment because of their role in the judicial branch. Pretty much everybody in the world, including convicted defendants, doesn’t like someone watching over your shoulder, particularly when you think that someone can send you back to jail if you don’t follow their rules.
Against this backdrop, I worked with U.S. Probation Officer Mike Primeau for several years and observed his remarkable set of skills. Probation officers like Mike are part enforcers, part social workers, and constantly looking to improve their craft through evidence-based research. Before I met Mike, I had no knowledge of concepts like cognitive behavioral therapy and moral reconation training. Under the leadership of Chief Probation Officer John Marshall (another superstar, by the way), Mike helped implement new programs in Rhode Island that have proven effectiveness in lowering the rate of recidivism. Plus, if I remember correctly, Mike was one of the people that came up with the name for H.O.P.E. Court (“Helping Offenders Prepare for reEntry”).
Mike visited and worked with his clientele at odd hours, encountered numerous roadblocks in the field, and was extremely patient yet firm as he worked to help his clientele reenter society, many of whom lacked basic skills after long periods of incarceration. He recruited employers, found people jobs, solved all sorts of problems, and soldiered on amidst innumerable detours and hiccups, all while multi-tasking with several clients and dealing with administrative tasks.
Dedicated, smart, resourceful, eager to learn and improve, well-spoken, and the epitome of a public servant — these are words that come to mind about Mike Primeau. He’s in it for the right reasons. And he did it all while perfectly coiffed.
During H.O.P.E. Court sessions, it was a regular occurrence for representatives from other federal agencies to praise Mike (and other federal probation officers) for all the work they do, and to remark that they didn’t realize how much goes into the job and how important it is. Mike has the respect of all, and that includes his clients, many of whom publicly thanked him as they ended their terms of supervision.
Farewell, Mike Primeau. We hardly knew ye. We hope to see you again in the great State of Rhode Island.