NCJ Number
153952
Date Published
1994
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Probation in Denmark is based on four principles: (1) early assistance, to ensure that the probation officer enters a case as early as possible; (2) proximity, to provide a short geographic distance between the client and the probation officer; (3) continuity, to reduce the number of contact breaches; and (4) coordination, to emphasize the importance of cooperation among institutions and local offices involved in probation work.
Abstract
The Danish Probation Service (DPS) has 22 local offices, and the responsibility for probation supervision rests with the local office in the area where the client lives. Probation supervision is designed to control, and the supervising authority is obligated to be aware of the client's probation conditions and activities. If the client violates probation conditions, the court may caution, issue an order that varies probation conditions, or pass a sentence that fixes punishment or other penalty. Because the risk of reoffending for many crime types is reduced as the client's social situation is improved and stabilized, probation supervision is also designed to help the client in such areas as housing, finance, and employment and training. Probation supervision is examined in relation to mentally disordered criminals, community service orders, individuals convicted of drunk driving, and voluntary supervision. Assistance provided by the DPS to remand prisoners and its role in the preparation of social inquiry reports and hostel administration are discussed. Addresses and telephone numbers of local probation offices and hostels are provided. 2 figures