APPA training centers on domestic violence

By Cassie Dlg Fejeran
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Some 120 participants from Saipan, Tinian, Rota, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau trooped to the Theatre Hall of the Nikko Hotel on Aug. 24 to take part in the first ever Adult Parole and Probation Association training held outside the United States.

Probation officer Juan Aguon said that the training, being the first time that the APPA conference ever stepped outside the continental United States, entailed a lot of preparations and required enormous logistics. He credited CNMI chief probation officer Ursula Lifoifoi-Aldan for making the event happen.

“Without the effort of [Lifoifoi-Aldan] this training could not have happened. She is the one who made the APPA come out for the training, and this is the first time they ever stepped out of the U.S.,” he said.

The supervisor of the Office of Adult Probation, Simram Simram, also underscored the work everyone had to do to pull it off.

“It was a lot of work. We had to prepare the materials for the conference. This week we had to pick up the people from FSM, Guam, and Palau. We made reservations for their rooms prior to their arrival, but every morning we take them [to and from] the conference,” Simram said.

The CNMI Superior Court’s Office of Adult Probation, Superior Court of Guam’s Probation Services Division, Community Guidance Center, Board of Parole, Division of Youth Services, Family Violence Task Force, and the Multi-Disciplinary Response Team sponsored the four-day training, which was held Aug. 24-27.

Deputy chief U.S. probation officer Ronald Schweer, along with Community Corrections Institute director Robert Thornton, took the lead in providing safety simulation training for the participants.

On hand to provide assistance was Thornton’s wife, Janet. “My wife trained on searching computers for evidence and safety officers, and she also handled the video taping,” Thornton said.

Despite the differences in settings and culture, Thornton said the concepts and materials in safety training and simulation are basically the same.

“We trained on some of the issues the people on the island have in dealing with sex offenders. Though Saipan is a less confined area, this affects a large group of people,” he added.

According to Thornton, the local parole and probation officers worked well as a team and responded appropriately. “They handled high risk situations with a minimum use of force. They all showed interest. According to their evaluations, they enjoyed and appreciated the training,” said Thornton.

“We’ve trained in 49 states, and we’ve never been treated as nicely as the way everyone from this program has treated us,” he added.

Lifoifoi-Aldan said that, with the training, parole and probation officers are now more conscious of how to manage offenders.

Though the training was particularly focused on parole and probation officers, Lifoifoi-Aldan said the public could be made aware of the techniques in handling domestic violence situations.

Aguon agreed, saying: “I hope that the Parole [Division] would share with their family and children what they learned here. Today it’s our word, but tomorrow it’s theirs.”

Mike Quinata, parole officer from the Department of Corrections in Guam, said he appreciates working with the people of the CNMI. “This training gives us a network. We are now able to share resources, issues, and trainings with other people,” he said.

The session provided trainings on understanding the dynamics and complex task of managing sex offenders and its registration registry in the community. Several discussions on recent court cases, strategies for survival, departmental safety issues, and supervision strategies filled the room with questions and comments from participants.

Dede M. Rayphand and Christine Pangelinan were on hand to share the victims’ perspective on domestic violence.

“I was touched when one of them [victims] told us about what happened to her. She was hit, punched, and even thrown out of the car. She suffered for five years,” said Aguon.

According to Aguon, APPA will hold another training in Palau next year. “Now that they are doing trainings outside of the [United States], there will be another training in Palau next year, and the year after that it will be in Guam,” he said.