NCJ Number
57577
Date Published
1979
Length
128 pages
Annotation
INFORMATION NEEDS THAT CAN BE MET BY THE PROBATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (PMIS) FOR ADULT OFFENDERS IN PASSAIC COUNTY, N.J., WERE TESTED (DECISIONMAKING, RESEARCH, PLANNING, AND EVALUATION).
Abstract
THE PMIS IS DESIGNED TO CAPTURE PROFILE DATA ON ADULT OFFENDERS AT TWO POINTS IN TIME. THE FIRST IS WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL BEGINS A TERM OF PROBATION. DEMOGRAPHIC, CRIMINAL HISTORY, INSTANT OFFENSES, PROBLEM/NEED ASSESSMENT, EMPLOYMENT, AND CASE MANAGEMENT VARIABLES ARE EVALUATED AT THIS TIME. A MECHANISM IS PROVIDED TO UPDATE THIS DATA WHEN THERE IS A MAJOR CHANGE IN A PROBATIONER'S STATUS. THE SECOND POINT AT WHICH A REPORT IS COMPLETED IS AT THE END OF PROBATION. VARIABLES EXAMINED IN THIS CASE ARE PROBLEM/NEED ASSESSMENT, PERFORMANCE WHILE ON PROBATION, REASON FOR TERMINATION, SERVICES PROVIDED BY PROBATION AND OTHER AGENCIES, EMPLOYMENT RECORD, AND SUPERVISION STATISTICS. A PRETEST OF THE PMIS WAS CONDUCTED IN 1975-1976. THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF OFFENDERS ON PROBATION WERE CONVICTED OF DANGEROUS DRUG CHARGES, FOLLOWED BY BURGLARY AND FRAUD CHARGES. MOST OFFENDERS WERE SERVING 2-YEAR OR 3-YEAR TERMS. THE FOUR MOST FREQUENT NEEDS PROBATIONERS HAD AT THE BEGINNING OF THEIR TERMS WERE JOB SKILLS, EMPLOYMENT, DRUGS, AND EDUCATION. THESE NEEDS WERE THE SAME AT THE END OF PROBATION. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG WHITES, BLACKS, AND HISPANICS WERE OBSERVED WITH REGARD TO REASON FOR TERMINATION AND PRIOR RECORD. AT TERMINATION, HOWEVER, WHITES HAD LESS NEED FOR JOB SKILLS THAN BOTH BLACKS AND HISPANICS. HISPANICS CONSTITUTED THE LEAST SCHOOLED GROUP, AND WHITES WERE MORE SCHOOLED THAN BLACKS. WOMEN WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF FRAUD, EMBEZZLEMENT, AND GAMBLING. MEN WERE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF BURGLARY AND LARCENY. PROBATION OFFICERS ESTIMATED THAT 24 PERCENT OF THE PROBATIONERS WOULD RECIDIVATE, 42 PERCENT WOULD NOT, AND THE REMAINING 34 PERCENT HAD A 50/50 CHANCE. SLIGHTLY OVER TWO-THIRDS OF THE PROBATIONERS HAD NO RECORD OF SUBSEQUENT CONVICTIONS. MOST RECIDIVISTS HAD NO SUBSEQUENT CONVICTION FOR VIOLENT CRIMES. CRIMES FOR WHICH RECIDIVISTS WERE MOST COMMONLY CONVICTED INVOLVED BURGLARY, DRUGS, AND LARCENY. WOMEN TENDED TO RECIDIVATE LESS THAN MEN. NO RACIAL GROUP WAS MORE LIKELY TO RECIDIVATE THAN ANY OTHER. PRETEST RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT PMIS MET INFORMATIONAL NEEDS FOR DECISIONMAKING, RESEARCH, AND PLANNING BUT WAS NOT SO EFFECTIVE FOR EVALUATION. THE MAJOR IMPEDIMENT TO GENERATING MEANINGFUL EVALUATION DATA WAS THE LIMITED AMOUNT OF DATA ELEMENTS IN THE PMIS PERTINENT TO SERVICE DELIVERY. THE MOST DISAPPOINTING ASPECT OF THE PMIS PRETEST DESIGN CONCERNED PROVISIONS FOR UPDATING. SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE INSTRUMENTS USED IN THE PMIS PRETEST. (DEP)