NCJ Number
180423
Journal
Community Corrections Report Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: November/December 1999 Pages: 1-12
Date Published
1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reviews both the benefits and risks of probation/parole officer (PPO) and police partnerships in the supervision of offenders in the community and suggests a strategy for ensuring that benefits are maximized while adverse circumstances are prevented.
Abstract
The intent of PPO-police partnerships in cities where this has been emphasized has been to improve probation and parole supervision by targeting noncompliant offenders. The strategy, however, involves more than just a police presence with PPOs; it involves the religious community, social services, schools, and employment resources as partners with PPOs and the police. Some risks of PPO-police partnerships were noted in an August 1999 issue of the New York Times in reference to what was happening in New York City. In assessing a joint effort between New York State parole officers and the New York City police department in home visits on parolees, the Times alleged that police have "taken over" the home visits, harassing parolees and conducting illegal searches that extended beyond the parolee's person and immediate surroundings. Police were directing parole officers in the performance of their duties. In order to avoid this happening in PPO-police partnerships, policies and procedures must ensure that PPOs stay in control of their work and that offender rights are not subverted. Offender supervision must be the primary purpose of a team visit with the offender. To make PPO-police partnerships work, the goals, roles, and responsibilities of all partners must be clearly delineated, and the organizational infrastructure must be modified to support such partnerships.