When the general public thinks of a someone being punished for committing a crime they think of incarceration. The lock them up and through away the key mentality which has lead to mass incarceration and overcrowding in our jails and prisons. One way that the criminal justice system is combating this overcrowding is by diverting low risk offenders, first time offenders, and/or drug offenders to other sanctions such as probation. To better understand the job duties of probation I interviewed Angela at the Adult Probation Office here in Grand Island.
Before being put on probation an offender is interviewed for a presentence investigation which entails any previous criminal history, family history, employment history, any history of addiction,
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Besides alleviating the pressure of overcrowded prisons, probations main focus is rehabilitation. Since a lot of the offenses they see are drug related, meaning someone was caught with drugs or were on drugs at the time of their offense it is important to get them help and rehabilitate them from continuing that behavior. With adult probation here they offer a variety of classes to help with the rehabilitation process. They offer financial classes on how to manage money, drinking and driving classes on how to be responsible if you are going to drink, classes on how to address unemployment, and a lot of classes on how to deal with drug and alcohol addiction. All of these classes are meant to education the offender on ways to deal with struggles in life and how dealing with these issues is better than reverting to crime and being punished.
Angela stated that rehabilitation is a main goal of probation and giving offenders those tools to coop is essential. In her career she has seen offenders successfully rehabilitated and have maintained sobriety, but not all offenders are ready for that step. She has seen offenders come back through that door and some even end up in prison, but they have those tools that were provided during probation. When the time is right for them and they are willing to make a change in their attitude and perspective in life that crime is not the route to take then they have those tools to
Parole is a controversial issue because its vase ways to debate the challenges and problems that will exist. It’s like a side effect to medication based on one’s effectiveness belief. In like manner, the public media allows others who aren’t immediately effected to become tertiary, and secondary victims. It is the door to open opinions. An inmate is released from a sentence given parole and then assigned a parole and probation officer. The one thing that will make probation and parole successful is the supervision of the program and rehabilitation or residential treatment center. This will support the goal to maximize the good behavior and minimize the harmful behaviors of individuals. Probation is a good program because it’s a form of rehabilitation that gives inmates elevate space to obey rules and regulations. On the contrary, probation is risky just like any new diet plan that people use to
This element is able to be used as an alternative to being in jail, or another form of punishment. It also works to deter further criminal activities and temptations, a means of punishment, and individually help the offender themselves. Unfortunately, there is evidence suggesting racial and gender disparities when it comes to probation. All in all, the proportion of black and white people based on their overall population size and percentage actually partaking in these punishments is very disproportionate. There are also disparities correlating between Hispanic as well, all of which is growing media attention. On the other hand when it comes to gender, females are treated differently than men. This is apparent when it comes to treatment and length of sentencing.
The United States Criminal Justice System has several options available when it comes to sentencing. Probation is one that we hear of most when it comes to first time offenders as well as juvenile offenders. John Augustus first developed probation in Boston in 1841. The first probation law was enacted in Massachusetts in 1878. By the 1990’s the juvenile justice system was far more effective as it began taking greater measures. In 2010, probation was used in approximately 53 percent of juvenile delinquency cases. Typically, probation sentences are circumstantial, and are imposed under very specific terms and conditions. These must be followed by the defendant unless he or she would like to return
The proliferation of prison overcrowding has been a rising concern for the U.S. The growing prison population poses considerable health and safety risks to prison staffs and employees, as well as to inmates themselves. The risks will continue to increase if no immediate actions are taken. Whereas fighting proliferation is fundamentally the duty of the U.S. government, prison overcrowding has exposed that the U.S. government will need to take measures to combat the flaws in the prison and criminal justice system. Restructuring the government to combat the danger of prison overcrowding, specifically in California, thus requires reforms that reestablishes the penal codes, increases the state’s budget, and develops opportunities for paroles to prevent their return to prison. The following context will examine and discuss the different approaches to reduce the population of state prisons in California in order to avoid prison overcrowding.
Programs such as parole and probation have been introduced as alternatives to incarceration. These programs are designed for offenders who are not considered a hazard to society. Parole is typically granted towards the end of a sentence and probation commonly in place of one, but because the organization is overloaded, financially unstable, and carelessly managed, it often operates as well as a feeder organization, guaranteeing prison cells will not be unoccupied for long. Actually, according to a report compiled by the Pew Center for the States parole violators accounted for over a third of all prison admissions in 2005 and "half the US jai...
The overpopulation in the prison system in America has been an on going problem in the United States for the past two decades. Not only does it effect the American people who are also the tax payers to fund all of the convicts in prisons and jails, but it also effects the prisoners themselves. Family members of the prisoners also come into effect. Overpopulation in prison cause a horrible chain reaction that causes nothing but suffering and problems for a whole bunch people. Yet through all the problems that lye with the overpopulation in prisons, there are some solutions to fix this ongoing huge problem in America.
According to Mark Early, president of the Prison Fellowship International, the Bureau of Justice Statistics report shows that there are 19 states that have prisons operating at 100 percent capacity and another 20 are falling right behind them. There is no wonder why the overcrowding of prisons is being discussed everywhere. Not to mention how serious this predicament is and how serious it can get. Many of the United States citizens don’t understand why this is such a serious matter due to the fact that some of them believe it’s not their problem. Therefore they just don’t care about it. Also, some Americans may say that they don’t care about what could happen to the inmates due to repercussions of overcrowding, because it’s their own fault. In order to cure this growing problem people have to start caring about what’s going on, even if it’s to people who might deserve it.
Probation should be utilize for petty crimes, these crimes are not violent or serious crimes.Some example of these are, marital conflicts(no hitting),simple assault,drunk and disorderly conduct,stealing,etc..Probation can be a very effective way for petty crimes since your probation officers has resources they can referral you too, that will actually help offenders if they’re willing to put in the work. Like getting their GED, counseling,WorkForce(they help find a job to those who have been imprison, if you do the 12 week program) which helps them lead productive life legally(Robinson,2013).Most of the petty offenders do not re-offend as reveal by researches, so it effective for petty offenders to be place on probation because it may address some of their needs(Phillips,2014).
All in all, the ideas surrounding the criminal justice system were affirmed by the field practice experience. Many open doors have resulted from the venture into the field of probation. As an advocate and future employee of the criminal justice system the skills and intellect gained from the college of criminal justice at SHSU along with the internship opportunity with the Dallas County Adult Probation Department will serve as a path to a successful career. The talented individuals and extraordinary situations encountered on the journey will not be forgotten.
A probation system is an opportunity offered to offenders with minor crimes or good behavior in where the offender is not send to jail instead he/she is put it in probation in where they have to report to a police officer and they have to follow the court orders and cannot break the law. Usually probation is an opportunity for offenders to reintegrated with the community. The North Carolina Probation system is based on supervising the offenders and help them succeed. Also making sure that the offenders don't go back to prison or jail. The organization of the probation system is very similar to a corrections goal which is overall rehabilitation. Probation is not given to anyone, before an offender is place on probation a judge would look at all his criminals record, acts against
When the offender goes to meet with his/her probation officer, the probation officer will go over the files and review the stipulations of one’s probation. Some people’s probation will come with strict probationary rules such as; where they can go, who they can surround themselves with, where they work or can be made to get a job or live in a certain location. Some
We Are Spending Too Much On Prisons Would you believe that America has spent around five hundred billion dollars on prisons? Butterfield: Why are the taxpayers of America spending so much money on prisons and not other effective solutions to stopping crime? American legislation is closed-minded about reducing crime. They believe that prison is the only solution.
The United States criminal justice system is an ever-changing system that is based on the opinions and ideas of the public. Many of the policies today were established in direct response to polarizing events and generational shifts in ideology. In order to maintain public safety and punish those who break these laws, law enforcement officers arrest offenders and a judge or a group of the law offender’s peers judge their innocence. If found guilty, these individuals are sentenced for a predetermined amount of time in prison and are eventually, evaluated for early release through probation. While on probation, the individual is reintegrated into their community, with restrict limitations that are established for safety.
Probation is the most common sanction and requires the offender report to a parole officer. The offender is supervised in their activities, including such areas as employment, living conditions, acquaintances, drug testing and curfews to name a few. Probation is most likely associated with a return to incarceration for noncompliance.
...enders get on the right path and reduces the possibility of being a repeat offender. Elizabeth has proved that rehabilitation is effective if programs are available. Studies have shown the decline in recidivism with rehabilitation. Offenders are less likely to renter jail when they have somewhere to live, job, and a positive relationships. I agree with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, “To put people behind walls and bars and do little or nothing to change them is to win a war but lose a battle. It is wrong. It is expensive. It is stupid” (Schmalleger, 2009). I believe rehabilitation can serve as a new beginning to what the offenders and even society considered an ending.