Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Probation systems in the U.S. & Recidivism

Probation systems in the United States are underfunded, understaffed, and unable to keep track of all the offenders nominally under their supervision--let alone offer them any help. The typical probation worker in overburdened systems is regarded as a combination of a clerk and law enforcement officer. But probation officers are seldom expected, or able, to do much for those under their charge beyond urging them to meet some basic reporting requirements and reporting their failure to do so. Recidivism among those on probation increases at an enormous rate as ever-greater numbers of persons on probation receive even less guidance, supervision, training, or treatment. The key to reducing recidivism lies in improving budgets, staffing, and staff training. But with other improvements the job of probation officer needs to be seriously rethought, especially in terms of those aspects of the job that are the province of traditional social work. The "get tough" approaches to probation, which treat it as merely a branch of the prison system of surveillance and deterrence, need to be improved. In order for the systems to work, however, the probation officer, in addition to functioning as an arm of law enforcement, must also take on complementary social work roles as broker, mediator, evaluator, consultant, and agent of behavior change.

The principal problems with probation are overcrowding and recidivism. But another problem is that the overcrowding has resulted in underfunding and understaffing which have made probation programs ineffective. Overcrowding is unlikely to cease any time soon and public confidence in probation, and other aspects of the criminal justice system, has all but disappeared. Americans "suffer 40 million criminal victimizations" annually and only one percent of these crimes "actually results in anyone getting caught, convicted, and sent to prison" while most felony defendants, among whom repeat offenders are ...

Page 1 of 11 Next >

More on Probation systems in the U.S. & Recidivism...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Probation systems in the U.S. & Recidivism. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 17:57, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1689943.html