Past, Present and Future of Probation & Parole

Probation, as defined by Bartollas and Siegel, is “a form of punishment which allows the offender to remain in the community under supervision of a probation officer and is subject to certain conditions as set forth by the court” (2013). As such, the issue of probation supervision presents several challenges unique to this type of judicial punishment.

The Probation of Offenders Act was established in 1907 and under this act the release if offenders into the community under the control of probation officers were made official. The primary aim of the probation was made clear under this act which was to advise, assist and befriend and it continued that way until 1970’s. During this period it transformed into an agency concerned with casework, diagnosis, and rehabilitation rather than the influence of personal character, psychological understandings of human

As through research one can say that a considerable amount of individuals who were sentenced for crime did not serve prison terms. Probation gives criminals a suspended or a waive through prison sentence and instead they are sent to the probation department for controlled activities in the community. Examples could include; education, work, restitution, therapy. The probation officer will have prepared a presentence investigation or presentence report. The PSI and the PSR gives a brief description of the individual’s criminal and noncriminal profile. These reports basically decide whether probation should be given or not. If probation is recommended a course of activities and restrictions for the probationer would be specified. The circumstances may be rigorous, for example; house arrest, electronic surveillance, curfews, no meetings with former friends. On the other hand, they could also be less stringent, for instance; attending school or a treatment program, not drinking spirits, and making monthly visits to the probation officer. Probation can last for the length of the suspended sentence or in cases involving young offenders, probation terms may range from a few months to two years. (Voigt, 1994 pg

Parole is the release of a prisoner by the decision of a paroling authority (Mackenzie, 2002). The offender is then required to remain under the observation of a parole officer who monitors the offender 's obedience with rules of conduct that are imposed by the parole board (Mackenzie, 2002). Parole is actually regarded as a back-end program that works in conjunction with the community (Mackenzie, 2002). Parole is actually similar to probation in that it follows a term of incarceration (Mackenzie, 2002). There are specific conditions which parole can be applied. Violations of these rules may result in re-imprisonment forced to return to prison to serve out the length of their original sentence from the date of release (Mackenzie, 2002). There are currently over five million people who are being supervised by the criminal justice system in the United States (Bureau of

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Both jail and prison offer some type of early released programs, in this case probation and parole will briefly be discussed. Probation is a prison sentence that is suspended on the condition that the offender follow certain prescribed rules and commit no further crime (Seiter, 2008). Parole is similar to probation except that it is after a period of incarceration, which involved determinate and indeterminate sentencing (Seiter, 2008). The other types of prison sentencing include mandatory minimums, three-strike laws, and truth-in-sentencing (Wilson, 2001). The only difference is that a parole board allows convicts to serve the remainder of their term in society under supervision and strict limitations (Wilson, 2001). In summary both jails and prisons should strive to provide as much educational, health, and counseling opportunities as possible to reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Second, funding for the jail and prison systems will be briefly discussed.

Probation it a sentence handed down by a judge that gives an offender freedom based on terms that are set by a judge (Schmalleger). These set roles the offender may face are things such as random drug testing and some form of rehabilitation. This gives offenders a second chance to rehabilitate them self and fallow the law.

(Encyclopedia, 1986) Under this type of sentencing, an offender received a specific amount of time to serve in prison for a specific crime. (Encyclopedia, 1986) This actually created a major problem when prisons became overcrowded. (Encyclopedia, 1986) The governors were forced to issue mass pardons or the prison wardens had to randomly release offenders to make space for new entering prisoners. (Encyclopedia, 1986) Then in 1840, Captain Alexander Maconochie was appointed governor of the notorious English penal colony at Norfolk Island off the coast of Australia. (Encyclopedia, 1986) Maconochie came up with a system that he issued “marks” to encourage more positive behavior and let inmates serve their sentences in stages, which each increasing in responsibility. The final stage was a ticket of leave. (Siegal & Bartollas, 2010, pg. 254) The final stage of his system was a ticket of leave, the graduated release. (Siegal & Bartollas, 2010, pg. 254) “Later, influenced by Maconochie, Sir Walter Crofton established the “Irish mark system” in which inmates could earn early release by positive behavior.” (Siegal & Bartollas, 2010, pg. 254) The four stages of graduated release that he created were solitary confinement, special prison, open institution, and ticket of leave. (Siegal & Bartollas, 2010, pg. 254) “The Irish system was well received, appeared to have low rates of recidivism, and penologists from the United States began to urge bringing these ideas of graduated release to the United States.” (Siegal & Bartollas, 2010, pg. 254) But indeterminate sentence and the use of parole was not recognized and adopted across the U.S until 1944. (Siegal & Bartollas, 2010, pg.

Nearly six decades later, six states had passed laws regarding probation. By 1910, “thirty-two more states had passed legislation establishing juvenile probation” (Probation Historical Roots, 2013). Twenty years later, forty-nine out of fifty states had a juvenile probation law (Probation Historical Roots, 2013). Today, as defined by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “probation refers to adult offenders whom courts place on supervision in the community through a probation agency, generally in lieu of incarceration” (Community Corrections (Probation and Parole),

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Since many inmates return back into our communities, the Reformatory Era helped decrease the impact of imprisonment on long term inmates as see under the Principle of Normalization. This principle explained how conditions of prisoners should correspond as much as possible to the living conditions in the general society. A solution during this era was parole. This gave the offender the opportunity for early release based on their behavior. Offenders were given a minimum and maximum period of incarceration which is also known as indeterminate sentencing. New York adopted indeterminate sentencing during 1876. Since prisoners had indeterminate sentencing, they could be paroled and able to achieve goals that were set to them by their “handler”. Probation soon spread all around the United States giving different approaches to they way criminal justice policies were

A crucial part of the criminal justice system includes probation. Probation is the release of a criminal offender from detention or incarceration. At this time, the offender is subject to a period of good behavior under supervision. Probation is also referred to a kind of punishment that is giving as part of sentencing. Instead of giving an offender a longer sentence, a judge will order the defendant to report to their assigned probation officer on a regular basis, where the offender will receive a schedule instructing him or her of their probation requirements. If the defendant does not obey a probation order, the defendant will automatically return to jail or to court, only to be given a longer sentence by the judge. A person on probation is not allowed to leave the judicial district without permission of the probation officer or court (Seiter, 2011). The probationer shall report to the probation officer as directed and shall submit truthful and complete reports (Seiter, 2011). A person on probation must also follow all directions instructed by his or her probation officer truthfully. When on probation, an offender must obtain employment and needs to notify his or her probation officer of all changes of address within a three-day limit. The probationer shall also refrain from the excessive use of alcohol

First off, parole is “the conditional release of a prisoner, prior to completition of the

are on probation or parole. Also included is the beginning of the probation and parole systems,

Probation is the most common form of criminal sentencing in the United States. It 's defined as placing the offender under the control, supervision, and care of the probation officer as long as the probationer meets certain standards of conduct (Criminal Justice Degree Hub, n.d.).