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EVALUATION OF PROBATION SERVICES AND VOLUNTEERS IN PROBATION PROGRAMS - FINAL REPORT

NCJ Number
38684
Date Published
1976
Length
160 pages
Annotation
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARISING FROM SITE VISITS TO PROBATION DEPARTMENTS IN 12 COUNTIES AND 3 CITIES IN INDIANA, INCLUDING 9 VOLUNTEER IN PROBATION PROJECTS AND 5 STUDENT INTERN PROBATION OFFICER PROJECTS.
Abstract
FIVE PROBATION OFFICES WITH NEITHER VOLUNTEER NOR INTERN PROJECTS WERE USED AS CONTROL SITES. THE STUDY METHODOLOGY INVOLVED AN ASSESSMENT OF THE DEGREE OF TECHNICAL COMPLIANCE WITH SPA REGULATIONS, ON-SITE EVALUATIONS OF PROGRAMS, AND PROJECT/CONTROL SITE COMPARISONS. IT HAD BEEN POSTULATED THAT VOLUNTEER IN PROBATION PROJECTS WOULD RESULT IN MEASURABLY LOWER CASELOADS PER PROBATION OFFICER AND/OR MORE TIME FOR PROBATION OFFICERS TO INTERFACE WITH COMMUNITY SERVICE ENTITIES. FROM THE DATA AVAILABLE, HOWEVER, IT APPEARED THAT NEITHER OF THESE HYPOTHESES HELD IN GENERAL, ALTHOUGH THE VARIETY OF ACTIVITIES IN WHICH VOLUNTEERS WERE USED SOMEWHAT OBSCURED THE ISSUE. A COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT, AT EXISTING CASELOAD AND CONTACT RATES PER WEEK, MORE HOURS OF CONTACT TIME COULD BE PURCHASED BY HIRING ANOTHER PROBATION OFFICER, RATHER THAN ESTABLISHING A VOLUNTEER IN PROBATION PROGRAM. INTERN PROJECTS UNIFORMLY WERE USED TO REDUCE PROBATION OFFICER CASELOADS AND TO EXPAND THE RANGE OF PROBATION OFFICE ACTIVITIES. LIKEWISE, EACH PROJECT WAS EFFECTIVE AS A RECRUITING AND SCREENING MECHANISM FOR THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH SOME WERE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHERS. MAJOR EVALUATION FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE AREAS OF PROJECT DESIGN, RECORDS, INNOVATIVE APPROACHES, INTERN JOB EXPERIENCE, INTERFACE WITH SCHOOLS, GOAL/OBJECTIVE IDENTIFICATION, AND DATA COLLECTION ARE REPORTED....ELW