NCJ Number
37944
Date Published
1976
Length
51 pages
Annotation
RESULTS OF A PROGRAM DESIGNED TO COMPARE THE EFFICACY OF TEAM, TRADITIONAL, AND VOLUNTEER PROBATION MANAGEMENT, AS MEASURED BY RECIDIVISM, COST, LENGTH OF TIME TO ACHIEVE CORRECTIONAL GOALS, AND FREQUENCY OF CONTACT.
Abstract
THE SUBJECTS FOR THE STUDY WERE THOSE JUVENILE OFFENDERS LIVING IN BERNALILLO COUNTY (NM) WHO WERE ON PROBATION WHEN THE RESEARCH BEGAN AND THOSE JUVENILES PLACED ON PROBATION FOR THE 13 MONTH PERIOD FROM APRIL 1, 1975 THROUGH APRIL 30, 1976. CASES WERE TO BE CAREFULLY ASSIGNED BETWEEN THE THREE TYPES OF PROBATION IN ORDER TO ENSURE RANDOM ASSIGNMENT. CONSIDERABLE DIFFICULTIES WERE EXPERIENCED IN ADHERING TO THE RANDOMIZATION PLAN. DATA WAS GATHERED ON SUCH FACTORS AS FREQUENCY OF CONTACTS, KINDS OF CONTACTS, CORRECTIONAL GOALS, RECIDIVISM OF PROBATIONERS, THE PROBATIONER'S ATTITUDES TOWARD PROBATION, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF PROBATIONERS, AND CRIMINAL HISTORY OF PROBATIONERS. IT IS NOTED THAT MANY PROBLEMS WERE EXPERIENCED IN OBTAINING ADEQUATE OR COMPLETE DATA. BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS OF DATA COLLECTION AND RANDOM ASSIGNMENT OF PROBATIONERS, THE AUTHORS NOTE THAT MANY OF THE PROGRAM RESULTS REPRESENT ONLY TRENDS IN THE DATA RATHER THAN RIGOROUS RESEARCH RESULTS. NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE WAS FOUND BETWEEN RECIDIVISM RATES FOR TEAM PROBATION AND TRADITIONAL PROBATION. THE AUTHORS CONCLUDE THAT WHILE TEAM MANAGEMENT DID NOT APPEAR TO HELP OR HURT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT WAY, IT WAS LESS EXPENSIVE IN TERMS OF SERVICE DELIVERY THAN TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT.