NCJ Number
105336
Date Published
1987
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper describes intensive supervision probation programs in Georgia, New Jersey, and Oregon.
Abstract
Under the Georgia program, offenders are assigned to a surveillance officer, who closely monitors the offenders, and a probation officer, who provides counseling services, although there is some blending of roles. Caseloads are limited to 25 offenders per team. Recent evaluation indicates that the first 1,000 offenders placed in the program have committed barely over 100 crimes in their first 18 months under supervision, and that few of these were serious felonies. The New Jersey effort is a direct client service program run centrally by the Administrative Office of the Courts. All clients must be employed, and community service, restitution, and a curfew are almost always conditions of participation. Clients are required to write a plan for dealing with their problems and keep a daily diary that provides a basis for discussion of client adjustment. Officers are limited to 25 cases and are on call at all times. The Multnomah County Probation Development Project (Oregon) provides enhanced probation supervision to 100 to 150 prison-bound offenders, primarily moderate crime-seriousness cases. Candidates are interviewed, and an extensive case plan is formulated. Should the judge agree with the recommendations of the assessment team, offenders are sentenced to this option. While these programs have shown some successes, they raise some concerns about transferability of interventions, target group specification, the emphasis on control, and the potential for net-widening. 24 references.