NCJ Number
79747
Date Published
1980
Length
55 pages
Annotation
Findings and recommendations are presented from an evaluation of the County Court Probation Project of Palm Beach County, Fla.
Abstract
The overall goal of the project is to provide both presentencing and postsentencing services to misdemeanant offenders. To accomplish this long-range goal, the following yearly objectives were set: (1) to provide presentence investigations to county court judges on 500 persons; (2) to provide first-appearance investigations to judges for 1,000 persons; (3) to provide supervision and counseling for a minimum of 400 persons placed on intensive probation; (4) to provide followup supervision on 50 cases supervised by other local service agencies to ensure that sentences are fulfilled; (5) to supplement traditional one-to-one counseling with group counseling or alternative community service for 80 persons; and (6) to develop and staff full-service satellite offices at courthouse locations in Belle Glade, Delray Beach, and North Palm Beach. Evaluation data were obtained from the project components of release-on-recognizance, probation supervision, and presentence investigations. For the most part, the project did meet grant objectives regarding the extent of services provided; however, the quality of those services, as measured by national standards or standards cited in the literature, was not as satisfactory. The majority of the standards not met are considered by the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections to be essential to the successful operation of a probation program. Twelve recommendations are presented, and tabular and graphic data are provided.