NCJ Number
174793
Date Published
1998
Length
29 pages
Annotation
A hearing held by a New York State senator focused on the role of probation, cost savings from diverting appropriate cases from formal court processing, the impact of probation budget cuts on public safety, the impact of probationary services on youth, and responses to the needs of crime victims.
Abstract
Speakers included criminal justice officials and representatives of organizations serving offenders and victims. The common theme that emerged during the hearing was that it is time to invest widely in probation and correctional alternatives to ensure policies that make citizens safer rather than only making them feel better by responding to their anger. The hearing examined the history of probation, the impact of rapidly increasing caseloads, and the nature of local programs. Recommendations focused on restoring probation as a successful, secure, and cost-effective element of an integrated criminal justice system through adequately funding and supporting the implementation of community corrections services. Specific actions recommended included prohibiting the waiver of the pre-sentence investigation of defendants where the sentence imposed includes a period of probation, the offender is of youthful offender status, or the crime committed is a family or sex offense. Additional recommendations were to allocate more funding for regular probation supervision programs and establishing a uniform criminal justice policy for probation and community corrections. Figures and reference notes