Probation, After-Care, Child-Care and Protection Today and in the Future

• NCJ Number: 84192
• Author(s): J Junger-Tas; L C M Tigges
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 43 pages
• Corporate Author: Netherlands Ministerie Van Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands
• Note: Report no. 48

Annotation

This paper evaluates the current status of the child protection services and adult probation services in the Netherlands, with critical attention to the welfare model followed by social workers in both systems.

Abstract

A review of similarities between the child care and protection system and adult probation-aftercare services emphasizes that both face the dilemma of choosing between aid and the law and operate under the assumption that institutionalization should be avoided if possible. Common problems encountered by both services in many countries are described, beginning with the reliability and relevance of information in the background report. Studies have indicated that such reports often are unreliable, largely due to differences in social workers' personal backgrounds and unstructured formats. Research has shown a strong relationship between the information report and the sentence passed by the judge, but has not proved whether these reports actually reduce custodial sentences. The paper then examines ways in which the child protection and adult probation systems try to carry out the tasks of giving aid and supervision without making any distinction between the two. Because social workers emphasize the voluntary nature of aid contacts, experimental studies which compared the effects of compulsory aid with voluntary aid are discussed. Various forms of criminal court aid are assessed, including intensive supervision and counseling, the use of volunteers and paraprofessionals, and services provided by a team. The team model, which abandons traditional social work methods, is a particularly promising development since it combines concrete aid and directed supervision in a practical manner. Other studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of volunteers and paraprofessionals. Recommendations to improve the information report's credibility and reform supervision in the Netherlands' criminal justice system are presented. The paper contains 38 references in English and Dutch.