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Practice aims to help people get back on track

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
Right Turn Supervision Services owner Roni Yetmar-Henry, left, and intake specialist Diane Vavak, pose next to an inspirational quote in their office. Yetmar-Henry recently opened Right Turn Supervision Services, where she serves as a probation officer for first-time offenders.

A longtime state probation officer has opened a private probation office in Fort Dodge.

Roni Yetmar-Henry, who worked for the Iowa Department of Corrections as a probation officer for nearly 10 years, opened Right Turn Supervision Services LLC in early February.

Yetmar-Henry, who serves as the office’s probation supervisor, said she wanted to use the skills she’s learned over the years to help get people who have made mistakes in their lives back on track.

“The population that we want to try and help are those entry-level offenders that have just entered the legal system,” she said. “Possible traffic violations, domestic things that might go on.”

Her office will specifically focus on first-time offenders and getting them the treatment and help they need to prevent them from committing future crimes.

-Messenger photo by Peter Kaspari
Roni Yetmar-Henry, owner of Right Turn Supervision Services, writes a message on the board in the classroom in her office. Yetmar-Henry, a longtime probation officer, recently started her own probation office.

“They are the ones that aren’t considered high-risk or violence potential,” Yetmar-Henry said. “They are people who, oftentimes, have mental health problems, substance abuse problems. Just coping skills and other personal barriers that might have contributed to criminal activity.”

The approach of her office is getting to the root of what caused the person to commit the crimes they did and getting them corrected before the person commits any other crimes.

While she is a new, privately-run probation office, Yetmar-Henry said she does not want to compete with the Department of Corrections, which also offers probation services.

“My goal is to be an addition and an ally,” she said. “What can we do that’s a little bit different? How can we cover an area that’s not being covered?”

“And that’s really my goal here. Not to duplicate what’s being done, but create something new and different.”

Some may believe the idea of a privately-run probation office is new, but Yetmar-Henry said they exist. In fact, her office was modeled after a privately-run probation office out of Ames.

“This is a fee-for-service business,” she said. “It’s supported completely by the people who benefit from it. In that way, it’s not taxpayer-supported in any way. And the people that come here, that need to be here, are the ones that pay for it.”

While Right Turn Supervision Services is primarily a probation office, there are other services that Yetmar-Henry offers.

She also offers Children in Between classes, which help children of parents who are going through a divorce or separation. Her classes are compliant with the Iowa Code.

“We can do this in small groups, we can do this in private family group settings,” she said. “Expanded versions for people that need to come back for follow-up.”

Additionally, she also offers anger management classes, a service that she said isn’t really prevalent in Webster County.

“It’s available for anybody in the community, not just those on supervision,” she said.

Yetmar-Henry said she also wants to start offering community service. She’s already met with a number of community partners that have agreed to work with her and clients for which community service is an option.

“A lot of people have financial barriers,” she said. “They’re not working, so they end up with fines and fees that really can complicate their lives.”

Community service will allow those clients another way of giving back to the community without making their situation worse.

Even though she has a different approach than some probation offices, ultimately they have the same goal.

“If you’re on probation, you have a court order that says you must do certain things,” Yetmar-Henry said. “We’re entrusted to make sure that they do. To report back their success and struggles.”

Her office is assigned to a case by a judge, just as the Department of Corrections would be. She began taking on clients after officially opening on Feb. 1. Her office is located at 704 Central Ave.

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