NCJ Number
53916
Date Published
1978
Length
102 pages
Annotation
A DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF THE AVERAGE ADULT PROBATIONER IN ONTARIO, CANADA, IS PRESENTED, AND PREDICTORS OF SUCCESSUL VERSUS UNSUCCESSFUL PROBATION ARE NOTED.
Abstract
INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED ONLY FROM PROBATION OFFICERS WHO WERE ACTIVELY WORKING WITH PROBATIONERS. EACH PROBATION OFFICER WAS REQUESTED TO COMPLETE A QUESTIONNAIRE AND TO USE THEIR WRITTEN RECORDS AND PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS ABOUT CLIENTS IN THE COMPLETION OF ANSWER SHEETS. APPROXIMATELY 250 QUESTIONNAIRES, WITH 10 ANSWER SHEETS EACH FOR INFORMATION ON 10 TERMINATED CLIENTS, WERE MAILED TO PROBATION OFFICERS. THE NUMBER OF RESPONSES PER PROBATION OFFICER AVERAGED ABOUT 9, WITH A TOTAL OF 1,905 RESPONSES RECEIVED. DATA ANALYSIS CONCENTRATED ON TWO AREAS. FIRST, THE INTENT WAS TO GENERATE DATA THAT WOULD DESCRIBE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROBATIONERS AND PROBATION OFFICER EVALUATION OF PROBLEM AREAS EXPERIENCED BY PROBATIONERS. IN ADDITION, SOME DATA WERE SUBJECTED TO FACTOR ANALYSIS IN ORDER TO DETERMINE WHETHER CERTAIN CLUSTERS OF PROBLEM AREAS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH SUCCESS OR FAILURE DURING PROBATION. IN CONJUNCTION WITH EVALUATING PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS (EDUCATION, LIVING CONDITIONS, FAMILY, AND CRIMINAL CONTACTS), CONSIDERATION WAS GIVEN TO EMPLOYMENT, CRIMINAL HISTORY, THE PROBATION PROCESS AND PROBLEMS, PROBATION OFFENSES, AND PROBATION OUTCOMES. THE AVERAGE PROBATIONER WAS MALE, UNDER 24 YEARS OF AGE, UNMARRIED, AND LIVING IN A POOR AREA OF THE CITY. THERE WAS A WIDE RANGE OF OFFENSES, ALTHOUGH THE MOST FREQUENTLY CITED OFFENSES INCLUDED BREAKING AND ENTERING, THEFT, POSSESSION OF STOLEN GOODS, DRUG OFFENSES, AND ALCOHOL-RELATED OFFENSES. PROBLEM AREAS OF PROBATIONERS PERTAINED TO EMPLOYMENT, RELATIONSHIPS WITH FRIENDS, THE USE OF LEISURE TIME, AND THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS. PROBATIONERS MOST LIKELY TO COMPLETE THE PROBATION PERIOD SUCCESSFULLY WERE OLDER AND MARRIED AND HAD GOOD FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS. THE MOST IMPORTANT PREDICTOR OF SUCCESS WAS EMPLOYMENT STATUS. SUPPORTING DATA ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES DESCRIBE A MEASURE OF FAMILY STABILITY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SCALE USED IN THE STUDY AND CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PROCEDURES EMPLOYED TO EVALUATE DATA. (DEP)