NCJ Number
175622
Journal
Journal of Drug Issues Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: Fall 1998 Pages: 985-1004
Date Published
1998
Length
20 pages
Annotation
Many drug offenders are sentenced to probation, but critics of this policy argue that drug offenders belong in prison; logistic regression was used to compare 1993 individual level data on felony and non-drug felony probationers in North Carolina.
Abstract
Data were collected on 15,044 individuals removed from probation supervision between July 1 and October 31, 1993. The analysis focused on 1,254 felony drug cases and compared these cases with a randomly selected sample of 1,150 non-drug felony cases. Results provided some justification for the general fear presented in the public media that felony drug probationers threatened communities. When the performance of black males on probation for felony drug offenses was partitioned, however, results indicated that black males did not threaten public safety to the extent indicated by the media or envisioned by the public. While black males were disproportionately represented in felony probation caseloads, they were significantly more likely to have their probation revoked for a technical offense than for a new drug offense, a felony personal offense, or a felony property crime. Implications of the findings for the drug-crime relationship are discussed. 63 references and 3 tables