NCJ Number
74909
Journal
Canadian Criminology Forum Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1980) Pages: 15-25
Date Published
1980
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This paper examines decisionmaking in the probation service in Alberta, Canada.
Abstract
In Alberta, as throughout Canada, probation officers make sentencing recommendations in the absence of any explicit guidelines, despite the serious consequences that can ensue from these decisions. Despite broad limits imposed by the law, the structuring of the presentence report by policy, operational influences and judicial constraints, the potential for the exercise of discretion by individual probation officers and for significant variance in decisions due to personality and other individual characteristics still exists. What is needed is further research to make the probation process intelligible, to provide the information that would permit the development of control over the decisions of probation officers. One approach to structuring decisionmaking would be the team approach which would include more people in the decision. Another would be changing the presentence report and ending the practice of including recommendations in the report. A model is needed which would permit explicit definition of the objectives of the decision and an evaluation of its efficacy in achieving those objectives. It would then be possible to structure and control the decision. Twenty-nine references are included. A brief summary in French is provided.