¶ … parole and probation encompass the re-integration of convicted criminals within their communities in a supervised, controlled, and humane manner. On their web site, the American Probation and Parole Organization describes probation and parole as "twins," as both programs encourage rehabilitation of offenders and are viable alternatives to imprisonment. Because American prisons are already dangerously overcrowded and increasingly more expensive to run, parole and probation offer financially feasible, effective, and humanitarian options for incarceration. Promoting parole and probation over incarceration is cost-effective and reduces taxpayer responsibility for funding prisons. These programs also increase the efficiency of the already overly burdened criminal justice system by involving community-based and private agencies in the rehabilitation of criminals. In spite of the "tough on crime" climate in America, parole and probation offer a means to prevent crime and promote public safety. Both parole and probation entail court-supervision for convicted criminals who are reintegrated within their communities. This allows for the possibility of rehabilitation rather than simply placing people behind bars to remove them from
Convicts who demonstrate "good behavior" and who are designated as being eligible for parole may be released from prison early under the supervision of a parole officer. Probation is offered initially an alternative sentence but as with parole, it entails court-supervised release into the community. Their definitions are slightly different but with both programs the offender is permitted to live a productive life within his or her community rather than be placed behind bars. Probation and parole programs provide similar services to the community, to victims, and to the offenders, as imprisonment is not the only means with which to execute justice and the due process of law.
The goals of probation and parole are similar: to prevent crime, offer safety for the victims and community; promote fair justice for both victim and offender, and encourage a shift in ideology away from intolerance to compassion, responsibility, and healthy rehabilitation. Especially in the United States, a country that has the highest percentage of citizens behind bars than any other nation in the world, probation and parole are necessary solutions to high crime rates, recidivism rates, and prison overcrowding (Fauteck).
The extent at which the parolee or probationer is supervised, placed under surveillance, or must report to the officer varies from individual and depends on the prevailing social climate and laws. However, for parole and probation to be fully effective, the level of supervision must be kept at a minimum; otherwise the effectiveness of these programs is called into question (Paparozzi). The American Probation and Parole…
"Public safety and assisting the offender in reintegrating into the community are the most important considerations in any parole decision. Is the inmate willing and ready to re-enter the community as a law-abiding citizen and contribute to a safer society? Can the inmate's release back into society harm the general public? All relevant information is considered" (General parole and probation questions," 2008, Criminal Law - Parole Probation, p. 3).
There are, for example, great differences among states regarding the way in which these systems are managed and the rights and responsibilities of officers for both sectors of the legal system. In New Jersey, the goal of probation is to promote the reintegration of offenders into the community, while encouraging a responsible, law-abiding lifestyle for such a person (New Jersey Courts, 2013). In total, probation officers are responsible for more
Drug Policies of the United States and the Netherlands Virtually every country in the world has drug prohibition and criminalizes the production and sale of cannabis, cocaine, and opiates, except for medical uses, and most countries criminalize the production and sale of other psychoactive substances, and moreover, most countries criminalize simple possession of small amounts of the prohibited substances (Levine 2002). However, no Western country and few Third World countries have
Not merging them can have monetary and societal consequences. One Oregon reporter notes, "Court, corrections and probation agencies have grown up with separate databases, separate offices and separate staffs in ways not conducive to a comprehensive, systematic approach to offender management" (Bishop D1). Because parole and probation agencies are often separate entities, they do not share information, such as databases, and because of this, problem offenders can fall though
Another researcher note, "Inmates in USDB and the Naval Brigs at Charleston, S.C., and Miramar, for example, are offered a wide variety of services, such as education and rehabilitation programs, as well as intensive, crime-specific, cognitive-behavioral modification programs to address substance abuse, violence and sex offenses" (Johnston, 2003). In fact, the military experiences about a 14% recidivism rate, compared with approximately 31% in the public criminal justice system (Burke,
budgets of any major size will get most, but not necessarily all, of their money from taxpayers of several many sorts but the main goal of the agencies regardless of size and structure is to provide basic and needed services to the area they serve, whatever and wherever that may be. While all budgets are quite similar in one form or another, they are all different in their own ways
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