Featured Insights: Supervision Advice, Impact, Future Tech
May 29, 2025 by Ashlin McMaken
50 years of community supervision — a milestone set by the American Probation and Parole Association, whose mission is to support leadership and innovation in the industry. In honor of their 50th anniversary, two community supervision thought leaders came together to share their perspectives on how the industry and technology have changed, the impact of their work, and why they advocate for making a difference in communities.
Featured Leaders
- Ken Miles, former marine and police officer, current vice president and general manager at Tyler Technologies
- Michael (Mike) Laughlin, former supervision officer and clinical practitioner, current client executive at Tyler Technologies
Featured Insights
As a former Marine, Miles is rooted in brotherhood and community. The Enterprise Supervision Challenge Coin commemorates all those who work in the community supervision field by serving as a reminder of their important work: optimize client outcomes and make a positive community impact.
With a clinical background specializing in mental health and substance abuse, Laughlin sheds light on his experience working in community supervision. He stands behind preparing individuals for reentry by tailoring intervention while balancing various risk levels.
With more than 30 years of experience working in the community supervision field — ranging from clinical to pretrial services — Laughlin has real-world experience spending time with individuals and helping them through successful rehabilitation and development. He offers candid advice to professionals just starting in the field and looking to have a meaningful impact on their communities.
Without technology and the data it surfaces, instilling effective and positive change is harder for an officer or chief to achieve. Miles explains how proper tools enable agency staff to see what programs, activities, and efforts make a positive difference in their communities.
The future of community supervision is about embracing technology that allows officers to reach more people. It’s not about having fewer or replaceable probation officers; it’s about making their jobs more efficient. Both Miles and Laughlin offer their perspectives on how the future of community supervision technology will continue to shape outcomes and help officers touch more lives.
Miles and Laughlin are testaments to the work we do to build better outcomes for those we serve. It’s the passion of these industry leaders that drives technology forward and inspires innovation. Thank you to all those working in the community supervision space for making a difference in your community.