NCJ Number
153617
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 58 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1994) Pages: 43-50
Date Published
1994
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the methodology and results of a study of offenders age 55 and older on probation in a midwestern State.
Abstract
Of the 87 probation departments within the State, six were chosen by stratified random sample based on the number of staff employed within the office. At the time of sampling, there were 4,281 older offenders on probation within the State. The final sample of 214 cases across nine departments represented 5 percent of the age 55-plus offenders under probation supervision and is considered an adequate sample for the purposes of generalizing the findings to the population of older probationers in the State. Although the qualitative interviews were conducted during the course of the investigation, the results of the research show demographic and descriptive data obtained from the presentence investigation reports and the adult probation classification system (risk and needs classification). Drunk driving was the current offense of 32.2 percent of the sample. Forty-five "sex offenses," including aggravated criminal sexual assault, public indecency, indecent solicitation of a child, and lascivious acts with a child, were listed as the primary conviction offenses for 21 percent of the sample. Most were experiencing their first period of community supervision for a felony offense. In spite of the serious offenses committed by the subjects in this study, almost half were supervised at the minimum level. Only one-third of the sample was being supervised at the maximum level. Securing employment posed a significant problem for the age 55-64 probationer, where almost one-quarter were employable but unemployed. The lack of a suitable income may contribute to both the financial difficulties and stress in marital/family relationships reported in the needs data. 6 tables and 13 references