CHAPTER 12
PROBATION AND INTERMEDIATE SANCTIONS
Learning Objectives
2. Describe how probation evolved and how probation sentences are implemented today.
4. Identify the key issues faced by community corrections at the beginning of the twenty-first
century.
Lesson Plan
Correlated to PowerPoints
I. Community corrections: assumptions
Learning Objective 1: Name the philosophical assumptions that underlie community
corrections.
Proponents usually cite four factors in support of community corrections:
enough to
warrant incarceration
3. Rates of recidivism, or returning to crime, for those under community supervision
are no higher than for those who go to prison
in the community
Class Discussion/Activity
What are the pros and cons of community corrections versus
incarceration? Have students in groups debate the issue, with one half of
the incarceration option.
What If Scenario
What if you were convicted of a crime and the judge presented you the option of
community corrections or prison. Which would you choose? Why? Which option
would best serve the interests of justice?
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II. Probation: Correction without incarceration
Learning Objective 2: Describe how probation evolved and how probation sentences are
implemented today.
Probation is the conditional release of the offender into the community, under the
supervision of correctional officials
Probation may include fines, restitution, and community service
Currently an all-time high of over four million people are on probation in the United
States
A. Origins and evolution of probation
Probation first developed in the United States in 1841
By the 1940s there were 44 states with probation systems
Risk management reflects two basic goals:
2. The risk that the probationer will return to crime determines the amount and
type of supervision
B. Organization of probation
A few states place probation under the direction of the judicial branch
Some states combine parole and probation services but the lifestyles and needs of
these two types of offenders are often quite different
C. Probation services
D. Revocation and termination of probation
1. Probation ends in one of two ways:
a. The person successfully completes the period of probation
b. The probationary status is revoked because of misbehavior
E. Assessing probation
Heavy caseloads limit the amount of contact the officer has with the probationer
Recidivism rates for probationers is lower than for those who have been incarcerated
Support for probation is based in large part due to its low cost as compared to prison
Class Discussion/Activity
Probation officers have two roles that seem at times to be contradictory:
the role of the enforcer of conditions of probation and the role of social
worker. Discuss the ways in which
a probation officer can perform these
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PPT 10,
20
PPT 11
PPT 12
PPT 13
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19
two roles and still be effective.
Class Discussion/Activity
Have students debate the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. probation
system.
What If Scenario
What if you older cousin was a probation officer? What types of turmoil in role
conflict would she be likely to experience in her day to day duties?
Class Discussion/Activity
The average case load for probation officers across the United States is
currently about 150 probationers. Have the students discuss ways in
any significant increases in funding for correctional programs.
III. Intermediate sanctions in the community
Learning Objective 3: Describe intermediate sanctions, and give examples of how they are
administered.
Intermediate punishments fill the void between incarceration and traditional less
restrictive probation
A. Intermediate sanctions administered primarily by the judiciary
1. Fines
3. Forfeiture
B. Intermediate sanctions administered in the community
1. Home confinement
3. Day reporting centers
4. Intensive supervision probation (ISP)
Media Tool
See Assignments 3, 5
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PPT 28-
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C. Intermediate sanctions administered in institutions and the community
D. Implementing intermediate sanctions
Three major questions have emerged about their implementation:
1. Which agencies should implement the sanctions?
Net widening is the process in which a new sanction increases the control over
Stronger nets and different nets are options as well
What If Scenario
What if someone asked you what intermediate sanctions are? How would you
respond to such a question and what specific examples would you provide to clarify
Media Tool
-Arrest Alternative for Motivating
Media Tool
Assignment: Read the stated article and determine if the entry of women
into the community corrections field is one to be celebrated? Is it a good
See Assignments 1
–
2
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IV. The future of community corrections
Learning Objective 4: Identify the key issues faced by community corrections at the beginning
of the twenty-first century.
Despite tremendous growth community corrections still lacks widespread support
Class Discussion/Activity
Ask students to consider the public perception of community corrections.
If they were a community corrections administrator, how would they
attempt to improve trust among the public? Is it possible for the public to
fully support community corrections as a viable correctional alternative?
What If Scenario
Lecture Notes
Community corrections is a broad area of corrections that evolved from the traditional
services of probation and uses this as its foundation. Since the 1970s, a need was identified that
called for filling the vacuum between traditional probation and the harsher and more costly
option of incarceration. Often called intermediate sanctions, community corrections adds
punishments and stiffer restrictions as added conditions of probation.
Community supervision through probation, intermediate sanctions, and parole are a growing part
of the criminal justice system. Probation is imposed on more than half of offenders. Persons with this
sentence live in the community according to conditions set by the judge and under the supervision of a
Key Terms
See Assignment 4
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boot camp – A short-term institutional sentence, usually followed by probation, that puts the
offender through a physical regimen designed to develop discipline and respect for authority.
Also referred to as shock incarceration. (p. 419)
community justice – A model of justice that emphasizes reparation to the victim and the
community, approaching crime from a problem solving perspective, and citizen involvement in
crime prevention. (p. 403)
community service A sentence requiring the offender to perform a certain amount of unpaid
labor in the community. (p. 415)
Assignments
1. -intentioned community-
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2. Boot camps were popular with the public and politicians throughout the 1990s, but their
3. Research probation services in your state or county. How are they structured, and under
which level of government are they managed? Give some facts such as the cost of
4. Have students research alternative sanctioning in other countries and cultures and debate whether
5. After having students complete the Media Tool on probation, have them then write a