NCJ Number
86339
Date Published
1981
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This discussion of probation in Spain considers law enforcement and the administration of justice as well as the organization and working methods of the probation system.
Abstract
In Spain, the police are charged with criminal investigation and the identification and apprehension of the offender. The police are required to notify judicial authority or the Public Prosecutions Office of any investigations undertaken, and the Prosecutions Officer assesses the evidence in each case, including the determination of whether criminal proceedings should be initiated. The court system consists of (1) district and regional courts (prosecution for defaults, etc.,), (2) central and examining courts (hearing of minor offenses), (3) provincial and national high courts (trial of serious crimes), and (4) Supreme Tribunal (appeals). General categories of penalties are imprisonment, detention, various disqualifications, and fines. Spain has no probation system, but a private pilot experiment has been undertaken at Barcelona's Institute of Social Rehabilitation. The experiment focuses on the provision of social work for juvenile and first offenders in an effect to help them back criminal patterns. The project aims at the early detection of tendencies toward delinquent behavior, so that preventive work may be undertaken. Social workers are used part-time, as well as volunteers. A technical supervisor and a psychiatrist are available as consultants. Project founders hope that the results achieved will be sufficiently impressive to convince the authorities to establish a probation system. Key addresses and sentencing statistics for 1973-77 are provided.