Streamlining the criminal justice system remains an active and critical goal of the Kenney Administration as we work towards reform. We want to make sure anyone who has been touched by the system can protect their freedom in the best possible way.
This is why the City is distributing this flyer to help people get reconnected with probation and resolve open warrants. This partnership between the Defender Association and the First Judicial District recognizes that the COVID-19 Pandemic has made it harder for people to know what is needed from them. This effort provides people involved in the criminal justice system with an opportunity to reconnect with their probation officers or public defender, and even have bench warrants lifted if circumstances allow.
It’s the choice Clifton Grant made, and he could not be happier.
“I wanted to change,” Grant said. The 29-year-old is grateful for having the opportunity to turn his life around, after getting into trouble with narcotics charges a few years ago.
“Reform and everything doesn’t mean nothing until a person wants to change,” he said. “Once he wants to change, then a lot of things will become accessible to them.”
Now working in demolition, Grant is thinking about the next big steps he plans to take for his family.
“Me and my wife, we talk. I want things. It’s time to buy that house. We got a baby. She lives with us. I’m trying to get a big house space for my cats and animals to run around in. I want things out of life.”
Grant secured his freedom after approaching the program on his own, and you can too.
If you have not contacted your Probation Officer over an extended period of time and you believe a warrant may have been issued, please call Danielle Brookens, Probation Supervisor at the following number to assist you in addressing the warrant.
By calling (215) 683-3785 you can safely check your status and make a plan.
If you think you may have missed a court date and may have a bench warrant, or if you would like to speak with an attorney to discuss your legal situation before making this call, please reach out to Byron Cotter at the Defender Association of Philadelphia at (267) 765-6565 or email at bcotter@philadefender.org.
On the chance you may be hesitant to get in touch with your Probation Officer, Grant said to take it directly from him.
“You continue on and go on the run if you want to,” Grant said.
“You’ll find your butt in that cell. That’s what’s going to happen. No matter what – even if you go to another city, or country, it’s still on you baby. You are who you are. Buckle down, face the music, get your priorities together and be a man and go straight and forward in the right direction. Don’t be scared.”
