Special Request Paper: The Reform of Juvenile Probation: issues in an Agenda for Change

• NCJ Number: 115264
• Author(s): T L Armstrong; C R Tremper; A J Lipson; P R Schneider
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 73 pages
• Grant Number(s): 79-JN-AX-0013
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Corporate Author: American Justice Institute
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study discusses factors which have spurred the reform of current juvenile probation philosophy and practice and details the recommended reforms.

Abstract

Among the factors responsible for fueling efforts to reform juvenile probation are the proliferation of 'get tough' policies toward juvenile offenders; the changing profile of juvenile probationers as perpetrators of more serious, 'adult-like' crimes; and an increasing dependence on community correctional alternatives to overcrowded correctional facilities. Other factors in the stimulus to reform are the marked reduction in resources available for probation activities while the demand for its use steadily increases and the continuing disenchantment with the results of juvenile rehabilitation efforts. At the center of proposed changes is a concern to make probation a more reliable and forceful sanction under a 'just deserts' model for juvenile justice. This model incorporates a number of techniques and procedures lending themselves to significant alterations in probation philosophy and practice. Suggested changes include adoption of classification systems for surveillance and treatment purposes, wider use of reparative sanctioning as a standard part of court dispositions, and development of intensive probation programs to provide high levels of supervision and services for more serious, high-risk juvenile offenders. 1 table, 144 references.