NCJ Number
161241
Date Published
Unknown
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A mail and telephone survey of all probation services in England and Wales, interviews with probation personnel and personnel involved in special projects for drug-abusing offenders, and case studies of three such projects formed the basis of an analysis of probation programs and services for drug abusers and the means by which probation officers seek to maximize their discretion.
Abstract
The Criminal Justice Act 1991 made provision for mandatory drug treatment as a probation condition. In addition, national standards for the supervision of offenders have restricted the discretion of probation officers in the initiation of proceedings relating to the breach of probation conditions. However, probation officers commonly perceive drug abusers as too chaotic to meet rigorous requirements. The analysis revealed that although probation officers are critical of the drive toward standardization and uniformity of their practice, they have been quick to take advantage of policy confusion regarding to drug treatment to create programs that conform to their preferred perspectives and local opportunities. Thus, the two partnership projects in this study were designed in different ways. One was a time-limited program targeted at probationers as a special requirement of their supervision; the other was an open-access service that did not distinguish between offenders and other clients. 10 references (Author abstract modified)