NCJ Number
136410
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 1 Dated: (1992) Pages: 53-62
Date Published
1992
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Identifying the changes responsible for the emergence of a safety issue among probation staff, this article assesses the impact of this issue on probation field practices and considers the policy changes that are likely to occur should the staff safety issue intensify.
Abstract
Changes that have contributed to concerns about the safety of probation officers include the growth of "felony probation," greater use of case classification systems, and neighborhoods made more dangerous by the proliferation of weapons, crack use, and violent crimes. To reduce the likelihood of probation officer victimization, probation agencies are likely to modify visitation policies. Possible changes include reductions in the number of home visits, increased use of team visitation, and a de-emphasis on visits to potentially dangerous sites. Staff safety training will become a requirement, and critical incident reporting systems will be improved to represent officer victimization more accurately. Some agencies may remove the fieldwork function from officers' supervision duties and mandate that all visits be made by members of specialized field units. 44 references (Author abstract modified)