Probation Officer Victimization and Fieldwork Practices: Results of a National Study

• NCJ Number: 165232
• Journal: Federal Probation Volume: 60 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 16-23
• Author(s): C Lindner; R L Bonn
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article reports the findings of a nationwide study of probation fieldwork practices, including whether visits are mandated, whether they are conducted in pairs, how visits vary by type of caseload, what protective measures officers use for field visits, and what training officers receive in street safety.

Abstract

The survey sampled agencies from the Probation and Parole Directory. In the nine States with the largest number of agencies, the authors took a systematic random sample of every second, third, or fourth agency; in the remainder of the States, questionnaires were sent to every agency. There were three waves of questionnaires. In the first, 1,259 questionnaires were mailed; in the second, 833; and in the third, 606. In the first wave, 60.4 percent of the 1,259 questionnaires were returned. Of the returned questionnaires, 668 provided data that could be used for analysis. Of these, 143 provided open-ended comments. The survey data show that agencies relate the frequency and type of fieldwork to severity of case classification. Moreover, many agencies have made adaptations that respond to concern about probation officer safety, including greater use of team visitation, the implementation of street safety training, and the use of defensive hardware for officers. Team visitation is more likely to be practiced by larger agencies in urban areas. Team visitation almost doubles the cost of each contact at a time when many cities are faced with serious fiscal concerns. The increased cost of field activities could well be the crucial factor in determining agency fieldwork policy. One possibility is that many more agencies will modify fieldwork practices in accordance with the model now used by some officers of the Federal probation system, which mandates that field visits be made only "as needed." A possible consequence of this policy is that the credibility of probation will be further reduced in the eyes of the judiciary and other criminal justice decisionmakers, as well as in the public perception. 5 tables and 43 references