About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

51 Fed. Probation 56 (1987)
Probation and Felony Offenders

handle is hein.journals/fedpro51 and id is 152 raw text is: Probation and Felony Offenders By JOAN PETERSILIA The Rand Corporation The Rise In Felony Probation VER THE last two decades, several trends have converged to change the nation's proba- tion population. Rising crime rates have led to public demand that criminals get harsher treat- ment; just deserts and incapacitation have displaced rehabilitation as the primary aim of cor- rections. Consequently, more felons are being im- prisoned than ever before in our history. At the same time, budget limitations have made it impossi- ble for prison construction to keep pace with felony convictions. Prison crowding has become so critical that the courts have increasingly used probation to catch the overflow. As Figure 1 shows, between 1974 and 1983, the prison population increased by 48 percent, but the probation population jumped by 63 percent. Thousan 2,500 2,000 1,000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 capable of rehabilitation through a productive, supervised life in the community. Given its intent and structure, can probation accommodate more serious offenders, supervise them properly, and keep them from committing more crimes? Understanding how well probation works for felons is a compelling public safety issue. The Research Context Unfortunately, there has been little research on probation itself and virtually none on felony proba- tion. A recent Rand Corporation study, funded by the National Institute of Justice, used data from California to look at basic assumptions about proba- tion and its mission, to examine the public risks of putting felons on probation, and to consider alter- CHANGE IN U.S. PAROLE, PROBATION AND PRISON POPULATIONS, 1974-1983 Percen ids change +63 - Prison population +48 +38 Parole population I 1 l I I I I I __I____ 1974 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 Figure 1 Probation sentences for adult felons have become so common that a new term has emerged in criminal justice circles: felony probation. Today, over one- third of the nation's adult probation population con- sists of persons convicted in Superior Courts of felonies (as opposed to misdemeanors). This phenomenon raises some serious questions. Proba- tion was originally intended for offenders who pose little threat to society and were believed to be *This research was Natured by the National Institute of Justice as an NIJ Research in Brief (March 1985). native means of punishing them. This article sum- marizes the study findings.1 California's probation system is one of the largest in the nation and was once regarded as the most in- novative. Most probation systems acrosss the coun- try have experienced budget cuts because of fiscal limitations and the shift from rehabilitation to punishment. With Proposition 13 and other fiscal 'Complete results are contained in Granting Felons Probation Public Risks and Alternatives by Joan Petersilia, Susan Turner. James Kahan, and Joyce Peterson. R-3186-NIJ. The Rand Corporation. January 1985. The report can be obtained by writing Rand, 1700 Main Street. Santa Monica. California. 90406. t l

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most