Within the Canadian criminal justice system offenders are often placed back into the community under the supervision of probation officers, as an alternative to incarceration (Griffiths & Murdock, 2014, p. 68). Imposed as a sentence by the Criminal Court judge, in a number of different ways and under different circumstances, probation is the most commonly used strategy for this type of supervision (Griffiths & Murdock, 2014, p. 92). When sentenced to probation, a criminal offender is placed under supervision in the community for a set amount of time up to three years, and is required to follow any general and specific conditions outlined by the court (Griffiths & Murdock, 2014, p. 69). Key to the success of correctional interventions include…
This article is about a lawsuit that was filed against the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It claims that male correctional officers are sexually abusing female inmates and requests that there should be an upgrade in the reports made, investigation and the responses to complaints. An inmate at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility said that she has been abused ever since she arrived to facility, which is about 3 years. Also, she said that the officers asked her to perform oral sex, repeated sexual intercourse and repeating touching. Another inmate said that she was forced to have sexual intercourse, he grabbed her, choked her, and left bruised around her neck.…
He additionally takes note of the numerous probation officers that treat these young men in unjust, arbitrary ways. Most of these officers tend to be located at or near schools in Oakland; Rios also states that large portions of the young men on probation tried to avoid issues with the law, however the probation framework did not give the resources required to "desisting from crime. " Probation officers more often than not ignore young men's want to change and concentrate on pinpointing any little infractions for which they could be "punished" and detained. Such infractions are frequently outside the domain of criminal law and include school guidelines or community rules. As Rios watches, being suspended at school, disrespectful behavior towards others, or an argument with parents could prompt an arrest and further criminalization.…
He also knew it needed a change, particularly the probation program. Parole is conditional release from prison, granted to inmates who have already served part of their sentence. Probation is an alternative to prison time, offered by the court during sentencing. So rather than doing hard time in a cell, the guilty party remains free - with certain stipulations. They vary by jurisdiction, but typically include paying a restitution fee, reporting to a probation officer, refraining from alcohol, being subject to drug tests and staying within geographic areas.…
PROBATION OF LICENSEES If disciplinary action is taken and a licensee is placed on formal probation by the Board, he/she will be monitored by an investigator whose primary responsibility is that of compliance, (Probation Investigator). It is the responsibility of the Probation Investigator to monitor each practitioner’s compliance with each term and condition as stated in the Order or Agreement. When a practitioner is found to not be in compliance the probation investigator will consult with the Chief Investigator to determine the appropriate action to be taken at that time. Physician Health Programs…
New strategies to ‘punishment’ such as, ‘community punishments’ have emerged in the aim of creating diversions from custody. Consequently, new penology advances have separated social work training from probation officer training. Late modernity has seen the identity of the probation officer evolve, from ‘case manager’ to ‘offender manager’, to enable them to manage the risks associated with ‘dangerous offenders’. The probation services’ main priority and focus is therefore, public protection and managing risk. Consequently, probation officers now manage the ‘risk of re-offending’ and the ‘risk of…
By keeping these rehabilitated individuals out of the prisons, have created more space for the more serious offenders. The Probation program main focus is on Recidivism. It is a continual effort to provide strategies and treatment to achieve this goal. Studies have been conducted on Probation, and it is proven that recidivism rates vary depending on the place, seriousness of the crime, population, length of probation, and amount and quality of intervention, surveillance and enforcement (Schmalleger, Ortiz Smykla 2015, p.105). Pros and Cons of both Programs…
Upon discovering that I would be an intern for Travis County Adult Probation, I had expectations on what I would encounter and an idea of what the position would entail. When thinking about individuals who are on probation, people I would soon face, I had an image of what they would be like. I imagined meeting people who displayed certain stereotypical characteristics that are promulgated through society such as baggy clothing, tattoos, and tough attitudes. I imagined uneducated people of low socioeconomic status, and who may have had a difficult upbringing. The media influenced my perception of what adult probation would consist of.…
A document published by the U.S. Probation Office of the District of Columbia reveals that legislators established the probation officer role with the Probation Act of 1925. [1] The article, entitled “Role of the United States Probation Officer,” states that the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 expanded officers’ responsibilities to include…
How does probation and/or parole assist with reattaching social bonds to the community for the offender? Are specific resources and/or programs better suited than others? Probation is a type of judicial reprieve that places offenders convicted of a crime under supervision of a probation officer and allows them to return home and remain part of their community as long as they follow all the conditions the court imposed. The time an offender must spend on probation can range from one to five years as specified by the court.…
The period of probation will not exceed the maximum punishment for the appropriate classification of offense. Even if the defendant’s term of probation is not ordered by the court, there are restricted that the courts are authorized to have convicted person to follow. They most refrain from stalking any other individual during the time of probation. No contact is allowed with the victim, the victim’s children, siblings, spouse, parent or dependant. The offender must be evaluated by a psychiatric, psychological, or social counseling to determine if one is needed.…
At the end of 2014, about 1 in 36 adults in the United States was under some form of correctional supervision (Kaeble, Tsoutis, & Minton, 2016, p. 1). Probation and parole are privileges extended by the criminal justice system and are not rights (Latessa & Smith, 2011, p. 84). Probation and parole has many advantages such as helping offenders reintegrate into society, provides a cost savings over incarceration, and rehabilitate offenders (Latessa & Smith, 2011, p. 84). There are disadvantages to probation and parole because the offender could commit a crime or harm a victim when they could have been incarcerated instead of out on probation or parole. By the end of 2014, the correctional population declined to the lowest rate observed since 2003 and has continued to decline since 2007 at an average rate of 1 percent (Kaeble et al., 2016, p. 1).…
What drives the prison population to rise? Is it due to racial injustice, poverty, economic inequality or is it all of the above? While many do seek plea bargains from the courts, and with probation and parole this all intertwines with one another. Unfortunately, America has 25% of the prison population, with only having 5% of the world's population (Inimai, 2015). I have found some benefits, and some disadvantages to plea bargaining, probation and parole.…
In the article, “Putting Public Safety First: 13 Strategies For Successful Supervision And Reentry” strategy number sixth, which is Supervise Offenders In Their Communities, seen to be the most promising strategy that allows and make offenders accessible to many opportunities to change their lives. Offenders have the opportunity to be accepted in their community once he or she is involved in rehabilitation programs, community service, Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities, Breaking the Cycle, Special Offender Services Program, Probationers in Recovery, The Amity Project, Personnel and Training and Program Violations. According to Sipes (2006), there are two types of supervision that inmates should be aware of. These types of supervision are applied depending on the circumstance of the offender and the nature of the crime that was committed. In intensive supervision, the offender most of the time the has frequent contact with supervising officers, involved in community service, strict enforcement of probation or parole conditions and frequent random drug testing.…
In the next section, I outline the two perspectives on probation—one of reform advocates and another from a line of critical criminology—and…