NCJ Number
91299
Date Published
1981
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Four papers on the status of probation and parole focus on the need to avoid compromising the purpose of parole in an effort to deal with the problem of prison overcrowding, the use of rational behavior training by probation officers, the use of participatory goal-setting as a means of improving job satisfaction among probation and parole officers, and the critical functions performed by parole.
Abstract
An examination of parole's function in relieving prison overcrowding notes that using parole mainly for this purpose could place both the community and the criminal justice system at risk. A discussion of rational behavior training explains how it teaches people to perceive, think, feel, and behave rationally and how it enhances job satisfaction. An analysis of factors contributing to low self-esteem among probation and parole officers notes the importance of having input into the decisionmaking process that affects job definitions and performance. Recent studies on this subject are described. A discussion of the value of parole notes that its functions include enhancing the equity of sentencing, easing the transition from prison life, and building with parolees personal pride in achieving something worthwhile as they meet parole performance standards.