You will want to download the Catalyst mobile app to your phone, and then contact your case manager to get your username/ID so you can login into Catalyst and begin your enrollment process.
Pursuant to Title 5 V.I.C. Section 3720, the maximum period of probation, which may be imposed upon the charges in a single indictment, is five (5) years.
The maximum period of parole is determined by the length of the court-imposed sentence
Parole is early release granted to an inmate before completion of the court-imposed period of incarceration. The granting of parole is an exclusive function of the Virgin Islands Board of Parole and is based on established criteria by that Office. Offenders who have been granted parole must report to the Office of Probation, and are assigned to a Probation Officer who ensures that all parole and standard conditions of supervision are satisfied during the period of parole imposed.
The Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision is an agreement entered into by all States, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U. S. Virgin Islands that oversees the movement of Offenders from one jurisdiction to another. The Interstate Commission understands that an Offender may need to relocate from the jurisdiction in which he/she was sentenced to another, for one reason (i.e. employment, relocation of a family member who is in the military, etc.) or another. This is effectuated through established policies and procedures that governs the Compact.
(These conditions are separate and apart from the specific conditions imposed by the Court).
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You must submit a written request, at least two weeks in advance, of intent to travel (except in an emergency). |
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You must submit a written request, at least 60 days in advance, of any desire to relocate to another jurisdiction. |
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You shall report to your Probation Officer and shall submit a truthful and complete written report, as directed. |
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You shall respond truthfully to all inquiries made by the Probation Officer and follow all instructions of your Officer. |
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You shall support your dependents and meet other family responsibilities. |
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You shall work regularly, and diligently at a lawful occupation, unless excused by the Probation Officer for schooling, training, or other acceptable reasons. |
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You shall notify your Probation Officer, within 72 hours, of any change in residence, employment or situation. |
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You shall refrain from excessive use of alcohol and shall not purchase, possess, use, distribute, or administer any narcotic or other controlled substance, or any paraphernalia related to such substances, except as prescribed by a physician. |
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You shall not frequent places where controlled substances are illegally sold, used, distributed, or administered. |
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You shall not associate with any persons engaged in criminal activities, and shall not associate with any person(s) convicted of a felony, unless granted permission to do so by your Probation Officer. |
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You shall permit your Probation Officer to visit your home, or elsewhere, and shall permit confiscation of any contraband or weapons observed, in plain view, by your Probation Officer. |
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You shall notify the Probation Officer, within 72 hours, of being arrested or questioned by a Law Enforcement Officer. |
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You shall notify the Probation Officer immediately if you are experiencing difficulty in complying with any conditions of supervision. |
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You shall NOT possess, carry or own any firearm. You shall not possess, carry or own any weapons without first procuring the consent of your Officer. |
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You must notify your Probation Officer immediately if you are experiencing any difficulty in complying with any of your conditions of supervision. |
(These conditions are separate and apart from the specific conditions imposed by the Virgin Islands Board of Parole).
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While on parole, you shall not commit another Federal, state or local crime. |
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You shall not leave the division of St. Croix, St. Thomas or St. John, without the permission of the Parole Board or probation / parole officer. |
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You shall report to the probation / parole officer and shall submit a truthful and complete written report within the first five days of each month. |
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You shall answer truthfully all inquiries by the probation / parole officer and follow the instructions of the probation / parole officer. |
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You shall support your dependents and meet other family responsibilities. |
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You shall work regularly at a lawful occupation unless excused by the probation/parole officer for schooling, training, or other acceptable reasons. |
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You shall notify the probation/parole officer ten days prior to any change in residence or employment. |
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You shall refrain from excessive use of alcohol. |
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You shall not frequent places where controlled substances are illegally sold, used, distributed or administered. |
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You shall not purchase, possess, use, distribute, or administer any narcotic or other controlled substance, or any paraphernalia related to such substances, except as prescribed by a physician. If and as directed, you shall participate in a program approved by the probation/parole officer for treatment of narcotic addiction or drug/alcohol dependency, which will include testing for the detection of substance use or abuse. |
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If and as directed, you shall participate in a program approved by the probation/parole officer for mental health counseling, which if found appropriate, will include an evaluation. |
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You shall not associate with any persons engaged in criminal activity, and shall not associate with any person convicted of a felony unless granted permission to do so by the probation officer. |
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You shall permit a probation officer to visit you at any time at home or elsewhere and shall permit confiscation of any contraband observed in plain view of the probation officer. |
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You shall notify the probation officer within 72 hours of being arrested or questioned by a law enforcement officer. |
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You shall not enter into any agreement to act as an informer or a special agent of a law enforcement agency without the permission of the parole board. |
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As directed by the probation officer, you shall notify third parties of risks that may be occasioned by your criminal record or personal history or characteristics, and shall permit the probation officer to make such notifications and to confirm your compliance with such notification requirement. |
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You shall not have any type of firearm in your possession, custody, or control. |
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You shall pay any restitution or fines that was imposed by the Court at the time of sentencing. |
(These conditions are separate and apart from any specific conditions imposed by the Court).
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The defendant shall not leave the island of St. Croix, St. Thomas or St. John without the Court’s written permission. |
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The defendant shall not obtain a passport while on release, or must surrender any passport he/she now possesses. |
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The defendant shall have no contact (direct or indirect) with any victim or witness in this case. |
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The defendant shall not violate the laws of the Virgin Islands and the United States. |
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The defendant shall remain in regular contact with his/her attorney. |
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The defendant must appear in Court on each scheduled appearance date. |
Reporting times differ for these three categories of clients. Consequently, all clients must pay close attention to instructions given by the Judges, Magistrates, Clerks or Office of Probation staff.
The Court is closed on all locally established holidays and may close for unforeseen circumstances. If this occurs, you should report as follows:
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Pretrial Supervision: Report the next business day that the Court is open. |
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Probation Supervision: In most instances, the Officer usually ensures that no reporting days are scheduled on a holiday; and appointments are scheduled accordingly, in advance. However, if for some reason, the date the Officer scheduled is a holiday, or if the Court is closed due to unforeseen circumstances, then you must contact the Office for a new reporting date. |
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Parole Supervision: In most instances, the Officer usually ensures that no reporting days are scheduled on a holiday; and appointments are scheduled accordingly, in advance. However, if for some reason, the date the Officer scheduled is a holiday, or if the Court is closed due to unforeseen circumstances then you must contact the Office for a new reporting date. |
Travel during pretrial release, probation or parole is possible, but permission must be obtained in advance.
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Pretrial Supervision: Individuals on pretrial supervision must request permission to travel through their attorney, in advance of their anticipated departure date, and prior to finalizing travel arrangements.
The Defendant must provide his/her attorney with information pertinent to the travel (proposed destination, address and phone number while away from our jurisdiction, and proposed departure and return dates of travel). The Attorney will then file a Motion requesting permission to travel with the Court. Travel arrangements should not be made prior to a decision of the Court. |
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Probation Supervision: All Probationers must file a written request to travel at least two weeks in advance of the intended date of travel. Probationers are required to submit a written request to travel to the Office of Probation with the following information included: proposed destination, address while away, a phone number, reason for travel and proposed departure and return dates. Note: In conformity with Interstate Compact rules and regulations, travel outside of our jurisdiction cannot exceed 30 consecutive days.
Upon receipt of this information, the Chief or Deputy Chief Probation Officer will make a determination to approve/deny the request. Determinations are based on the Offender’s current status on probation, the Officer’s recommendations and other factors.
For travel outside of the United States, requires written approval by the Judge of Record is required. This request will include a recommendation from the Office of Probation.
In all instances, the Offender will receive notification of the decision rendered by the Judge or Chief/Deputy Chief as soon as possible. If the request is approved, the Offender will be instructed to finalize all arrangements and submit the requisite documents to our Office (round trip tickets, evidence of accommodations – if staying at a hotel-, map documenting route of travel, if the trip involves multi-destination wherein a part of the trip includes driving, etc.
Once all information is received a Travel Permit will be issued in advance of travel and must be signed by the Offender and the Chief or Deputy Chief Probation Officer.
If the situation is an emergency, then the Offender must provide evidence of the emergency and the request will be expedited. |
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Parole Supervision: All Parolees must file a written request to travel at least two weeks in advance of the intended date of travel. The request must include: proposed destination, address while away, a phone number, reason for travel and proposed departure and return dates.
This information is then submitted to the Virgin Islands Parole Board, with a recommendation from the Office of Probation. In all instances, the Offender will receive notification of the decision rendered by the V. I. Parole Board as soon as possible. If the request is approved, the Offender will be instructed to finalize all arrangements and submit the requisite documents to our Office (round trip tickets, evidence of accommodations – if staying at a hotel-, map documenting route of travel, if the trip involves multi-destination wherein a part of the trip includes driving, etc. )
Once all information is received a Travel Permit will be issued in advance of travel and must be signed by the Offender and the Chief or Deputy Chief Probation Officer.
If the situation is an emergency, then the Offender must provide evidence of the emergency and the request will be expedited. |
The transfer of probation / parole is possible, but all cases must be processed in accordance with the rules and regulation of the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision. Probationers and Parolees desirous of transferring his/her probation to another jurisdiction must advise his probation officer of his/her intent at least 60 days in advance. Eligibility for transfer will be determined based on established criteria for transfer.
At the discretion of the Sending State (Virgin Islands), an offender shall be eligible for transfer of supervision to a receiving state (any State or Puerto Rico) under the compact, and the receiving state shall accept transfer, if the offender:
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has 3 months or more remaining on supervision; AND |
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is in substantial compliance in the Sending State; AND |
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is a resident of the Receiving State OR has resident family in the Receiving State willing and able to assist OR the offender is an active military member who has been deployed to another state OR is an offender who will live with an active military family member who has been deployed to another state OR is an offender who will live with a family member who has been transferred to another state by their fulltime employer as a condition of maintaining employment; OR the offender is transferred to another state by their fulltime employer as a condition of maintaining employment AND |
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has a valid plan of supervision in the Receiving State with a viable means of support (employment, family support, SSD/SSI, Workman's Compensation, etc.); AND |
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the transferring offense was a conviction for a felony, eligible misdemeanor or eligible deferred sentence; AND |
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is required to report or be monitored by the supervising authorities OR, has any condition (other than monetary), qualification, special condition or requirement imposed. (Offenders sentenced to non-reporting/unsupervised terms of probation with special or standard conditions will still need to be transferred through the Compact.) |
Note: Requests that do not meet the above criteria are considered discretionary and can still be submitted; however, they must be accompanied by compelling reasons and documentation as to the merit of the transfer. The receiving state shall have the discretion to accept or reject the transfer of supervision in a manner consistent with the purpose of the Compact
Note: The transfer of cases can only occur to jurisdictions that are a party to the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision.
Generally speaking, it is possible to transfer cases across Districts, however, the manner in which a transfer is obtained differs between pretrial, probation / parole cases.
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Pretrial Supervision. An individual on Pretrial Supervision who is desirous of obtaining a transfer to the other District, must discuss this transfer with his Attorney. The Attorney will then file the necessary Motion with the Court. If the transfer is granted by the Court, then the case will be transferred and the Defendant will be given reporting instructions. |
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Probation / Parole Supervision. An individual on Probation / Parole Supervision desirous of transferring his / her case to the other District must notify his Probation Officer of his / her intent to relocate. The proposed relocation plan will be reviewed, and a decision will be rendered by the Chief or Deputy Chief. If the request is approved, the case will be transferred and the Probationer / Parolee will be provided with a new set of reporting instructions. |
It is possible to obtain an Early Discharge; however, Early Discharges are not considered until the Offender has satisfied all of his / her conditions of supervision and has passed the one-half mark of the probationary period. Further, the Offender must be able to clearly articulate why he / she believes the case should be terminated early. If all conditions are met, a recommendation must be received from the Probation Officer assigned to the case, and the Chief or Deputy Chief will make the final determination to petition the Court for early termination of the case. The final decision to grant an Early Discharge rests with the Court.
All individuals on Probation and Parole are assessed a $500.00 probation administrative fee. All individuals are assessed $75.00 Court cost for each case and any applicable fines or restitution. Any fees imposed may be paid in one or more installments, but must be satisfied by the end of the supervision period.
Presently, fines, fees and restitution must be paid directly to the Cashier’s Office. A staff member will provide you with a “Fee slip,” which you will then take to the Cashier’s Office. Payments can be made in a single installment or monthly installments until the balance is satisfied.
The PSR is an important tool that the Court utilizes in determining a sentence. The report assists the Court in understanding who the Defendant is, what he/she has done with his/her life, and if there were any extenuating or mitigating circumstances to consider prior to imposing sentence. It also includes information pertaining to the Defendant’s social, educational, employment history, etc., as well as a Victims Statement (if appropriate).
Generally speaking, all conditions of supervision must be satisfied before the end of the probationary period. However, we understand that occasionally, situations arise where the Offender is unable to satisfy the conditions of supervision. Consequently, if the Offender made a “Good Faith” attempt to satisfy payment of his fees, the Office may file a Request for Extension; or depending on the situation, petition the Court for a Satisfactory Discharge, with a Civil Judgment. Under no circumstance will a Petition for Revocation be filed if the Offender has demonstrated an inability to pay.
However, if the Offender was able to pay, and willfully failed to satisfy payment of his fees, then a Petition for Revocation will be filed with the Court.
Once you have downloaded the Catalyst App to your smartphone and have been enrolled by your case manager, you can access the app whenever you need. Simply click on the app and enter your username/ID in the area that says "Enter your username" and click on the blue "Log in" button.
The best way to download Catalyst to your phone is to use the link that is sent in your introductory SMS/text. If you don't have that message, you can go to the App Store for your phone (Android or iPhone) and download it from there. In the App Store search for the "Catalyst 2.0" and download it. NOTE: DO NOT download the version titled "cFive Catalyst 2.0".
- Your "username" is your Catalyst ID. It has been assigned to you by Catalyst, and it will be sent to you in the first SMS/text message you receive from Catalyst.
- It is typically your first name and last name separated by a dot/period. Examples: Joe Smith or JOE.SMITH
- Your user name is not case sensitive, so when entering your assigned username you can use any combination of upper and lower case letters. However, please remember you MUST put in the dot/period between your first and last name.
- If you can't fine the text with your username or have forgotten your username, contact your case manager and they can provide it to you.
If you receive a message from Catalyst telling you that your client biometric is not approved that means that Catalyst is waiting for your case manager to approve the image and voice samples that you submitted during your enrollment process. You will not be able to log into Catalyst when you get this message. When this happens, you should wait 1-2 hours, and try to login again. If you still cannot login, you may want to contact your case manager and let them know you have received this message.
There are a few things you should check on your phone settings to make sure your phone is set up correctly, The first time you log into Catalyst, Catalyst will send a series of requests that you must accept to enable Catalyst to work properly. Check your phone settings to make sure you have allowed Catalyst to: Send Notifications, Access the Microphone and Access the Camera. Also, check your settings to see if you have blocked unknown users or users with partial hone numbers. If you have blocked these numbers, you will need to turn off that setting.
The two most common reasons for that are poor phone reception or attempting to take the image in a dark area, or a combination of both. Check your cell phone receptions strength, and move to another area if it is weak. You will need some lighting in order for Catalyst's facial recognition software to be able to capture your image. You do not have to be in bright light, but it will not work in extremely dark areas. Catalyst's facial recognition software will not recognize people wearing glasses and hats, so those should be removed when taking the Catalyst image.
The most common reasons for this are because you are not speaking clearly or Catalyst is having difficulty detecting your voice because it is also detecting other sounds in the background. When there is background noise Catalyst cannot capture your voice biometrics. It is best to turn off loud TVs, radios and other noise producing items (such as equipment, crowd noise, etc.), or move to another area where those sounds cannot be heard. When submitting your voice biometrics, it is best to speak clearly at a moderate voice level – do not whisper or shout into your phone’s microphone.
You only have to enroll in Catalyst once. When you get a new phone, all you have to do is download the Catalyst App from your phone’s App Store onto your new device, and login using your username/ID.
Additionally, you can download Catalyst to multiple devices, if you have more than one phone you want to use to connect to Catalyst.
Your case manager will answer your questions and help you troubleshoot any issues that may arise. Make sure you give them a detailed description about any issues you are having and what type of phone you are using.