themselves point out that the sample may have been too small to detect differences in these dimensions. The deductions are generally valid, though the major one--that it is no longer necessary to equate criminal punishment solely with prison and that the balance has shifted between probation and prison--lacks coherence because current data is not being compared to any earlier data on the same issues, meaning perhaps this was always true and there has been no shift at all.
Morgan, K.D. "Factors influencing probation outcome: A review of the literature."
Morgan reviews the literature on the subject of probation outcome, covering three categories: 1) studies reporting probation failure rates only; 2) studies reporting failure rates and also indicating significant factors correlated with that failure; and 3) studies discussing factors influencing probation outcomes only. These studies consider certain variables as being most important in influencing failure rates, such as age, gender, employment, educational levels, and prior criminal record. The studies analyzed go back to 1951, and Morgan notes the different characteristics studied while also trying to ascertain what factors are cited most often and how they are related to probation outcome. Knowing what factors could be a problem could help professionals develop more effective probation programs.
Morgan provides a good introduction to the subject and to the problems encountered in probation settings before noting that important insight can be gleaned from past research. She proposes to do this. The premise is simple--that past research offers insights--and the analysis cogent and to the point. The scheme for the research is well-developed, dividing the research into three categories so as to give order to the massive amount of material covered. Each category is then covered on its won to compare differing results.
The first category involves only four studies fro...