NCJ Number
99751
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 31 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1985) Pages: 539-554
Date Published
1985
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Based upon fifteen years of experience as a probation officer and qualitative interviewing of court personnel, I present an ethnographic account of decision-making processes used by probation officers in preparing presentence recommendations.
Abstract
Frequently probation recommendations serve only to endorse prearranged judicial agreements. When actual decisions are required, the range of recommendations is generally encompassed within narrow parameters. Individual probation officers discern these informal parameters by responding to cues provided by (1) judges, (2) prosecuting attorneys, and (3) probation supervisors. When a recommendation seems likely to meet the approval of these three entities, it is deemed appropriate or 'in the ball park.' The anticipatory nature of the ball park phenomenon seriously questions traditional concepts that sentencing judges 'follow' probation recommendations. (Author abstract)