Adult Probation and Parole Department
| Adult Probation and Parole Department (APPD) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Unit of the First Judicial District (Criminal Section, Trial Division, Court of Common Pleas), not a city department |
| Parent body | First Judicial District of Pennsylvania |
| Chief | Anthony Aner, Chief Probation/Parole Officer (per courts.phila.gov, October 2026) |
| Supervises | Adults on county probation and county parole: approximately 36,000 offenders and 55,900 cases (figure on the court's website) |
| Address | 714 Market Street, Philadelphia |
| Website | courts.phila.gov/appd |
The Adult Probation and Parole Department (APPD) supervises adults in Philadelphia whom judges have sentenced to probation, or who have been released on county parole after serving part of a short jail sentence. It is part of the First Judicial District, which makes it an arm of the state-created courts rather than a mayoral department. Probation officers are court employees who report to the judges and its work is carried out under the court's orders. [1]
1 Probation, county parole and state parole
Three terms are often confused. Probation is a sentence served in the community instead of, or after, incarceration, and is imposed by a judge. County parole applies to people sentenced to county jail terms with a maximum under two years, and release is decided by the sentencing judge. State parole applies to people serving state sentences with a maximum of two years or more; it is decided and supervised by the Pennsylvania Parole Board and its agents, not by the APPD. The APPD handles the first two categories for Philadelphia, using the sentencing orders of the Court of Common Pleas and Municipal Court. People released from the city's jails after serving their sentences may be moved to supervision by APPD.
2 How supervision works
A sentencing judge sets the length and conditions of supervision, which can include reporting to an officer, paying fines and costs, drug testing, treatment, employment or school requirements, no-contact orders and travel limits. Officers meet with clients, verify compliance and report to the court. Specialized units supervise people with mental-health needs, sex-offense convictions, and gun or domestic-violence cases; the court also runs problem-solving courts with their own supervision. Supervision fees and the level of reporting vary with risk assessments and policy, and the department publishes forms and office hours on its page. [1]
3 Violations and detainers
If an officer believes a client has violated conditions, the matter goes to a judge. Violations can be technical (missed appointments, positive drug tests, unpaid costs) or new criminal arrests. A judge may issue a detainer, which holds a person in jail pending a hearing, and can continue, modify or revoke supervision, including re-sentencing to incarceration. Because many people have lawyers appointed only for the original case, advocates have pointed to representation at violation hearings as an issue, and the Defender Association frequently appears at those hearings.
4 Reform debates
The department's own figure of roughly 36,000 people under supervision has made probation length and conditions a recurring subject of study and reform proposals. A 2010 Pew Charitable Trusts report on the city's jails examined the interaction of probation and detention. The case of rapper Meek Mill brought national attention: in 2017 a Philadelphia judge sentenced him to two to four years for probation violations from a 2008 case, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ordered his release on bail in April 2018, and his original conviction was vacated and charges dropped in 2019. [2] District Attorney Larry Krasner's office announced policies in 2018-2019 to reduce reliance on lengthy probation and parole terms, such as seeking shorter terms and ending supervision for people who are compliant, which the courts and defenders have discussed. [3] The District Attorney sets prosecutors' recommendations, but judges decide the sentence. State legislation has also addressed probation length and early termination; check current law at legis.state.pa.us.
5 Getting information or help
Clients should contact their assigned officer or the main office at 215-683-1000. Questions about the legal merits of a violation should go to a lawyer; see Legal Aid and Public Interest Law. Expungement and record-sealing, including Pennsylvania's Clean Slate law, are handled through the courts and not by the APPD. Complaints about an officer can be raised with the department's leadership or the court administration; see How to File a Complaint.
See also: First Judicial District, Philadelphia Department of Prisons, Defender Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Sheriff's Office.
References
- First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, Adult Probation and Parole Department, courts.phila.gov/appd.
- Pennsylvania Supreme Court and Philadelphia Inquirer coverage of the Commonwealth v. Williams (Meek Mill) release (April 2018) and the 2019 dismissal.
- Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, probation and parole policy announcements (2018-2019), phillyda.org; Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia's Crowded, Costly Jails (2010).