NCJ Number
18197
Date Published
1972
Length
239 pages
Annotation
RESULTS OF A STUDY DESIGNED TO DETERMINE HOW EFFECTIVELY PROBATION PERFORMED ITS PRINCIPAL ROLES AND FUNCTIONS, AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON NEW PROCEDURES, METHODS AND PROGRAMS TO MAKE PROBATION SERVICES MORE EFFECTIVE.
Abstract
THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY FOCUSED ON AN ASSESSMENT OF PROBATION PROCEDURES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO RECIDIVISM. THESE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ADDRESSED THE USEFULNESS OF THE PRESENTENCE REPORT AS A PROGNOSTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC TOOL, THE FACTORS WHICH MAY BE USED TO PREDICT PAROLE BEHAVIOR, THE REACTIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF OFFENDERS TO PROBATION, AND PROBATION FACTORS AFFECTING POST-PROBATION BEHAVIOR. FROM A TOTAL OF 1,825 PROBATIONERS DISCHARGED AS IMPROVED, UNIMPROVED AND COMMITTED IN 1962, 1965 AND 1968 FROM THE ADULT AND YOUTH PART DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY AND DISTRICT COURTS, A STRATIED RANDOM SAMPLE WAS SELECTED. CASE HISTORIES OF THESE PROBATIONERS WERE SUBJECTED TO A CLOSED CASE-FILE ANALYSIS, USING A 113-ITEM CODING FORM DEVELOPED WITHIN THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT. COMPLETE DATA WERE OBTAINED FOR 842 PROBATIONERS. THE CHI-SQUARE, ANALYSIS-OF-VARIANCES, AND DIFFERENCES-BETWEEN-PROPORTIONS TECHNIQUES WERE USED TO ANALYZE AND REPORT THE DATA IN CONJUNCTION WITH TABULATED FREQUENCIES AND PERCENTAGES, OBSERVATIONS, INTERVIEWS AND WRITTEN MATERIALS. THE STUDY DEMONSTRATED THE VALUE OF THE PRESENTENCE REPORT AS A DIAGNOSTIC INSTRUMENT, BUT FOUND NO SIFNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE QUALITY OF DIAGNOSES IN THESE REPORTS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OF PROBATIONERS. SEVENTEEN BACKGROUND FACTORS OF PROBATIONERS WERE IDENTIFIED WHICH RELATE TO RECIDIVISM, AND SIGNIFICANT RELATIONS WERE FOUND BETWEEN ON-PROBATION AND POST-PROBATION ADJUSTMENT. RECIDIVISM RATES WERE FOUND TO BE INCREASING OVER TIME, BUT THIS WAS THOUGHT TO BE DUE TO INCREASED USE OF PROBATION FOR A GREATER RANGE OF OFFENDER TYPES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)