NCJ Number
70098
Date Published
1973
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This last quarterly report for an 18-month LEAA grant project refers to the Extra-Judicial Probation Program implemented in Wichita County, Tex., and reveals the program's success.
Abstract
With the last quarter's 22 cases referred to the program, the 18-month total amounted to 248. Types of offenses ranged from robbery and drugs to misdemeanors and destruction of property. Cumulatively, 5.7 percent of the probationers under the Extra-Judicial Probation Program were rearrested for investigation of alleged violations, with only 1.2 percent having to have further legal action. At the end of the 18 months, there were 133 cases still active. Most of those referred were single, under age 20, and 83.5 percent were white, 12.1 were black, and 4.4 were Spanish-speaking; this is in keeping with the general population distribution of the community. While 33 percent of referrals had been arrested for burglary and 20 percent fo drug offenses during the first quarter, in the last quarter these figures had changed to 29 percent and 33.9 percent respectively. This change may be due to a change in attitudes toward these types of offenses or because those in authority were emphasizing treatment rather than punishment. While intelligence tests showed that most persons referred have sufficient native capabilities, personality tests helped to explain why these persons got into trouble--i.e., many were classified as introverted, emotionally undisciplined, and as being more conservative than experimental. With these factors in mind, the program staff, parents and spouses of the probationers were able to better help these clients. The program also showed cost-effectiveness in that inmates cost the taxpayer approximately $12,765.28 for the 18 months while probations on the Extra-Judicial Program cost only $104.38. In addition, this group of 248 probationers paid in a total of $8,415.04 in restitution. These probationers also became self-sustaining taxpaying citizens without the handicaps and restrictions of the ex-convict label. Four case studies and a statistical report are provided.