NCJ Number
101052
Date Published
1986
Length
46 pages
Annotation
The advantages and disadvantages of user fees for probation services are examined within the context of a survey of over 600 probation administrators and line officers representing 46 States and over 200 agencies.
Abstract
Proponents of fees argue that they can help the agency provide adequate services, enhance credibility with funding sources, make crime less profitable, reduce the cost to the community, and positively contribute to the probationer's rehabilitation. Opponents argue that (1) user fees are philosophically incompatible with the goals of probation, (2) development and implementation costs may outweigh benefits, (3) fee assessment and nonpayment sanctioning are problematic (given the indigence of most probationers), and (4) increased workloads associated with a fee system will reduce officer morale and professionalism. In general, survey results indicate that for the 104 agencies receiving revenues from fees, the impact of the fee system on workload and officer professionalism has been minimal, while revenues can be substantial (an average of $270,000 per agency). However, the success of a fee system is associated with the policies, procedures, and mechanisms for fee assessment, collections, sanctions, and distribution or use of fee revenues, as well as judicial support. Strategies used by probation departments to either prevent or support fees have focused on developing and using a constituency to influence legislation or policy. Overall, the issue of fees elicits strong responses on both sides and involves both risks and benefits.