NCJ Number
196115
Editor(s)
Madeline M. Carter
Date Published
April 2001
Length
105 pages
Annotation
Based on information and examples from 29 jurisdictions, this handbook guides probation and parole agency policy teams through a series of activities to help them develop their own set of policies for responding to parole and probation violations.
Abstract
The guidance provided in this handbook is derived from onsite technical assistance provided to the 29 jurisdictions over a period of 12 years by the National Institute of Corrections of the U.S. Justice Department. The first chapter of the handbook presents an overview of critical issues related to probation and parole violations. Issues addressed include the community corrections dilemma, prison and jail crowding, workload, responding to violations in a timely fashion, consistency and equity in responding to violations, defining success as a goal of supervision, and redefining the vision of community corrections. Each subsequent chapter addresses a key step in understanding or addressing different aspects of responding to violations. The chapters guide parole and probation agencies in forming a team of key individuals to work on probation and parole violation responses and in examining the extent and impact of violations on the criminal justice system and the community. Guidance is also provided in understanding violations in the context of the goals of supervision, in establishing clear goals for the violations process, and in formulating policy to guide the violations process, as well as in developing methods to implement this policy. Further, policy teams are offered suggestions for examining the range of responses to violation behavior and determining how best to use or expand that range when necessary and practical. Guidelines are presented for monitoring the impact of these polices and for understanding the potential outcomes that result from clear, policy-driven responses to violation behavior. 14 diagrams, 6 exercises, and 37 exhibits