The Golden Age of Probation is the first book on probation by those practitioners who became its leaders. A comprehensive account exploring culture, values and tensions. It looks at the dynamics of ...probation supervision and political dimensions, including the shift to a market-driven form of public service.
Studies of implementation of evidence-based supervision policies and procedures often report minimal to moderate adherence to evidence-based models. The few studies that exist examine the degree to ...which characteristics of probation officers, individuals on supervision, and supervision processes have an impact on rearrest (outcomes). Using administrative data on 7,326 probationers and surveys from 161 probation officers employed by five agencies, hierarchical linear models were used to identify the features of supervision processes that are most important to reduce recidivism. The findings clarify that no one evidence-based supervision feature (i.e., a validated risk and need assessment tool, case planning, treatment, compliance management, etc.) can achieve recidivism reductions. The best results can be achieved by using all features, although a risk-based case management approach that prioritizes employment and/or reducing the criminogenic needs creates similar outcomes. This article discusses the implications of prioritizing which supervision processes are used to impact positive supervision outcomes.
This book challenges the centrality of the prison in our understanding of punishment, inviting us to see, hear, imagine, analyse and restrain 'mass supervision'. Though rooted in social theory and ...social research, its innovative approach complements more conventional academic writing with photography, song-writing and storytelling.
Objective: Youth involved in the justice system (YIJ) have higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) and associated behavioral health (BH) problems, yet lower levels of service use ...compared to youth in the general population. This study examined the efficacy of e-Connect, a digital clinical decision support system (CDSS), at improving STB risk identification, referral, and linkage to BH services by probation officers. As the intervention spanned pre- and post-COVID-19 shutdown periods, we also examined the disruption in public agencies' service provision on study outcomes. Method: Administrative record data (1,488 youth, ages 10-18 years, 56% male, 56% White) allowed examination of differences between care-as-usual (baseline) and e-Connect in screening, identification of STB and BH problems, referral, and treatment initiation. Results: Compared to care-as-usual, probation officers using e-Connect were over five times as likely to identify YIJ with STB (adjusted odds ratio aOR = 5.86; 95% confidence interval, CI 3.24, 11.7) and over 11 times more likely to refer YIJ in need of BH services to treatment (aOR = 11.04; 95% CI 6.54, 19.43). In turn, youth referred to treatment via e-Connect were nearly 17 times more likely to initiate (aOR = 16.92; 95% CI 9.17, 32.60). Results remained unchanged during the pre- and post-COVID-19 shutdown periods. Conclusion: e-Connect is one of the first digital STB screening, referral, and linkage-to-service systems that use CDSS technology to successfully assist probation officers in linking youth on their caseload to treatment. Such an approach may support identification of STB and cross-systems linkage in other youth-serving organizations, such as schools, that increasingly manage youth BH problems with minimal clinical support.
What is the public health significance of this article?
Youth in all types of justice settings are at substantial risk for suicidal behavior and associated poor outcomes, yet protocols for identification and service delivery are rare for those in community settings (e.g., probation). e-Connect, by training probation officers and providing them with mobile technology, is one of the first digital clinical decision support systems that integrates screening, referral, and linkage guidance to assist probation officers with identification of suicide thoughts and behaviors, referral to care, and cross-system linkage.
One emphasis of juvenile justice reform has been implementation of risk assessment instruments to improve case planning. This study examined the ability of juvenile probation departments to apply the ...risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) framework into case planning following a comprehensive implementation protocol. Data were collected on 385 adolescent offenders across three probation departments following implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk for Youth (SAVRY) and an RNR-related case planning policy. As expected, as risk levels of youth increased, probation departments assigned more services and addressed more criminogenic need areas in their case plans. Most case plans (86%) adhered to the policy to limit the number of needs addressed at one time. The quality of service-to-need matching varied by criminogenic need area, risk level, and site. Implications to juvenile courts’ and probation officers’ case planning and the challenges of research on service-to-need matching are discussed.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, community supervision agencies were forced to incorporate drastic changes to traditional supervision techniques, which shifted the daily roles of probation ...officers (POs). Research on the pandemic identifies rapid adaptations to supervision strategies and increased demands on POs during the pandemic. Using qualitative data from interviews with POs across the United States, the goal of this study was to examine the experiences of POs working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results suggest POs had to alter their supervision approach, both physically and ideologically. POs discussed shifts to both remote supervision in place of in-person work coupled with a need to use an “agent of change” approach given limited access to formal, punitive responses to noncompliance, with a priority on the highest risk/need clients. Findings suggest several implications for practice, including factors to consider regarding community correction reform efforts in a post-pandemic world.
Little research exists on what works in the supervision of offenders with debt problems. This qualitative study aims to provide insight into the barriers probation officers and clients experience ...during supervision regarding debt and the support that clients need. Interviews were conducted with 33 Dutch probation officers and 16 clients. The results show that debt often negatively influences clients’ lives and hinders their resocialization. Probation officers lack effective methods to support clients with debt problems. To adequately help clients with debt problems, probation officers should obtain more knowledge about effective interventions and collaborate more closely with debt specialists from the probation supervision outset.
Individuals on probation are commonly assessed fines and fees. These monetary sanctions serve different purposes. Fines are primarily used for more punitive purposes, whereas fees are often used to ...recover the costs of services provided. Regardless of ability to pay, monetary sanction payments are often required as a probation condition. Nonpayment therefore can result in violations and potentially revocations. However, little is known about how fines and fees operate specifically within probation. This current study explored legal and extralegal factors that influence the total amount of fines and fees assessed in individual cases, as well as the influence of fines and fees on probation revocations. The implications of the findings concentrate on ways to improve probation policies as well as probation officer’s practices as they relate to the collection and enforcement of monetary sanctions.
The body of evidence that the working alliance is associated with positive outcomes for mandated clients is growing. The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of several ...characteristics of probation officers (POs) and offenders on the course of the working alliance during probation supervision. This study examined the patterns on the four alliance subscales: Trust, Bond, Goals-Restrictions, and Reactance of the Working Alliance With Mandated Clients Inventory (WAMCI) in 201 offenders and their 137 POs. Three patterns on each alliance subscale were found: deteriorating, improving, and stable. Multinomial logistic analysis revealed that change of POs and the preference of the PO to maintain rules were associated with a deteriorating Trust pattern. From the perspective of the offenders, being motivated to take part in supervision was associated with a stable pattern on every alliance subscale, but having problems with substance use increased the likelihood of a deteriorating pattern on every alliance subscale.
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