NCJ Number
86665
Date Published
1981
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This essay suggests how probation may be expanded as an alternative to imprisonment in New South Wales, Australia.
Abstract
In New South Wales in 1978, 2,068 persons were sentenced to 1 year or under. It is likely that a proportion of these offenders could be diverted to noncustodial supervision without undue risk to the community. A study by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showed that reconviction rates in the long-term were substantially lower for those receiving noncustodial sentences. While this does not necessarily mean that noncustodial supervision produces lower reconviction rates compared to imprisonment, it does indicate that there are certain offenders who can be safely diverted from imprisonment. If the correct strategies are adopted, probation supervision can provide the courts with an alternative to imprisonment in many more cases than it now does. This entails the broadening of the concept and variety of probation supervision to include a number of specific activities to which particular offenders may be assigned. Sentencers must be informed about the several definitive probation structures and their effectiveness with particular types of offenders, so sentencers may gain confidence in probation programs and receive the feedback required to make informed decisions about which offenders should be sentenced to particular probation structures. Some examples of structured probation services are (1) probation with a condition of residence at a hostel, (2) probation with a condition of attendance at a day training center, (3) a program of employment therapy, and (4) a drug and alcohol program operated in conjunction with health authorities. Twenty-two footnotes are provided, and tabular data on reconviction rates of persons serving various sentences in 1978 are presented.