Probation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Probation - Essay Example Probation oriented towards providing rehabilitation or therapeutic services to nonviolent offenders, a logical targeting of probation resources The punishment component therefore is to managed by the law enforcement agencies that already perform surveillance and control (police and sheriffs). An option is to increase specialization within probation by licensing more private agencies that offer Drug and alcohol treatment, education, and mental health services are also provided through contract with private providers. Day reporting centers for probation offenders are the cornerstones of local's corrections privatization in California. Day reporting centers might initially supervise low risk probation offenders who are not sentenced to jail. They agitate for imposition of home confinement sanctions, more frequently for pre-sentence surveillance in conjunction with electronic monitoring than as a stand-alone sanction. Electronic monitoring allows for long distance surveillance of offenders by either passive or active devices. Passive devices operate via radio transmissions in a wrist or ankle bracelet. Active devices use home telephones and computerized random calls to an offender's residence. Electronic monitoring is a component of many house arrest and ISP programs. Offenders may be sentenced directly to electronic monitoring, but some are placed on this sanction when jail crowding occurs, while others are placed on a monitor after violating a previous probation sanction Probation/Parole as agency of rehabilitation In a rehabilitative role the probation officer serves as a social caseworker, a counselor whose primary concerns are generally in the best interest of the offender. In this role, a probation officer must know how to interview, how to obtain facts about an offender's background, how to identify and distinguish surface from underlying problems, what community resources exist, and how to make referrals to such resources. Counseling is required for a variety of offenders including thieves, serious drug offenders, domestic violence offenders, and sex offenders. They are usually given a high-risk assessment status and are monitored closely by counseling staff and specialized probation officers. Who monitor some rehabilitation-related activities such as urinalysis testing, outpatient drug and contracting-out treatment and residential alcohol treatment Probation/Parole as advocate agents With probation inclined towards privation could possibly lead to the probation-related functions. Probation bonds could be required from appropriate offenders. The bonds would be privately guaranteed; with the bonding agency ensuring that a probationer fulfills the terms of probation this would be similar to the current bail system. Public Owned/Volunteer-Operated Day Reporting Centers Probation/Parole as law enforcement agents [ The main idea for probation was to offer alternative sanction programs that required Parolees judged in need of daily structured regimentation to undergo intensive supervision, including frequent and unannounced contact by probation officers outside a confined jail environment. In the law enforcement role, however, the probation officer is a control agent, an authoritarian figure, and a threat to the offender's conditional freedom. The dual role of probation is evident in the classic definition: "Probation strives to protect the community through the rehabilitation of the offender.