CH 6

Question 1

What is a sentence imposed on convicted offenders that allows them to remain supervised in the community instead of being sent to prison?

Answer 1

a. Probation

Question 2

Most of the sentences handed down by the courts in the United States are probation orders. True or False

Answer 2

True - Probation is the most common sentence in the United States, and it comprises 90% of the country’s sentences

Question 3

Almost all probationers successfully complete probation. True or False

Answer 3

False - About half of probationers successfully complete probation. Consider probation violations.

Question 4

Who created the first probation system in the United States?

Answer 4

The first real probation system was developed during the 1840s by a cobbler named John Augustus.

Question 5

Which state developed the first official probation system?

Answer 5

Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to develop a formal probation system. In 1878, the Massachusetts legislature authorized Boston to hire salaried probation officers to do the work of John Augustus’s volunteers, and a number of states followed suit.

Question 6

Early courts used ______, whereby a judge would suspend the sentence and the defendant would be released on his own recognizance.

Answer 6

A judicial reprieve was a delay in sentencing following a conviction. Early courts often used a judicial reprieve to delay an offender’s sentence.

Question 7

The passage of the National Probation Act of 1925 allowed ______.

Answer 7

The National Probation Act allowed judges to suspend sentences and place convicted individuals on probation.

Question 8

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of adults under community supervision at the end of 2016 has ______.

Answer 8

This population decreased slightly. In fact, there was a decrease of 1.1% from the previous year. The number of adults under community supervision saw a decrease of 1.1% from the previous year.

Question 9

Which racial or ethnic group comprises the largest percentage of the probation population in the United States?

Answer 9

People who are White comprise approximately 55% of the probation population. Men make up about 75% of the adult probation population, and people who are White make up 55% of it.

Question 10

Activities performed by agents of the state that assist offenders in establishing law-abiding roles in the community while monitoring their behavior for criminal activity are called ______.

Answer 10

Community corrections involve several different kinds of sentences, all of which involve the state helping offenders establish law-abiding behavior while monitoring them for criminal activity.

Question 11

Men make up about 75% of the adult probation population, and people who are White make up 55% of it. True or False

Answer 11

true

Question 12

Probation costs approximately $25,000 less per year than incarceration. True or False

Answer 12

True - For each person placed on probation rather than incarcerated, taxpayers save more than $25,000, and these savings apply every year.

Question 13

What does the general population think about probation?

Answer 13

The general public thinks that probation is too soft on crime and that it allows people to “get away with” committing crimes.

Question 14

How do experienced offenders view prison time versus probation?

Answer 14

Experienced offenders tend to think that probation and parole are more of a hassle than prison due to the demands of these options, such as daily reporting and intensive supervision.

Question 15

What is a benefit of probation?

Answer 15

Probation is more cost-effective than incarceration. It costs nearly nine times more for imprisonment than for community supervision

Question 16

More offenders get into trouble because of pathologies rather than deficiencies. True or False

Answer 16

False - More offenders get into trouble because of the things they may lack, such as education, a substance abuse problem, or faulty thinking. More offenders get into trouble because of deficiencies, including a lack of education, a substance abuse problem, or faulty thinking patterns.

Question 17

Community corrections is a good solution for ______.

Answer 17

Community corrections is a good solution for offenders who do not pose a risk to public safety.

Question 18

Probation officers in the United States do not carry firearms. True or False

Answer 18

False - Being a probation office can be dangerous. Currently, 35 states allow them to carry firearms.

Question 19

Probation officers have two main roles—law enforcement officer and ______.

Answer 19

Probation officers act as both law enforcement officers and social workers. The dual roles mark them as law enforcement officers and as social workers.

Question 20

Probation officers work for the ______.

Answer 20

Probation officers work for the courts, and they are responsible for enforcing court orders. Probation officers are considered officers of the court.

Question 21

Why might probationary officers and probationers have difficulty building rapport with one another?

Answer 21

Most probation officers are a different race, class, and/or gender than their probationer. This can make it difficult to build trust and rapport.

Question 22

Which type of probation officer tends to be most effective?

Answer 22

Hybrid officers are found to be most effective. They successfully combine elements from the law enforcement and counselor roles.

Question 23

About half of probationers are ultimately incarcerated. True or False

Answer 23

False - About 15% of probationers are ultimately incarcerated. This amounts to about 600,000 people.

Question 24

What is the term for connections to others and to social institutions that promote pro-social behavior and discourage antisocial behavior?

Answer 24

Social bonds are the connections to others and to social institutions that promote pro-social behavior and discourage antisocial behavior.

Question 25

An increasing severity of punishment that meets the increasing seriousness of a violation is called ______.

Answer 25

Graduated sanctions increase the severity of punishment for more serious probation violations.

Question 26

What does the success of Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation With Enforcement (HOPE) suggest?

Answer 26

Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation With Enforcement (HOPE) has proven to be an effective authoritative hybrid program in probation.

Question 27

A person who has several positive relationships in social networks that he or she can count on for support has ______.

Answer 27

This describes social capital. A person with social capital has acquired an education and other credentials that enable him or her to lead a pro-social life. Criminological literature agrees that being able to draw on these relationships for support is a strong barrier against criminal offending.

Question 28

Work release program is designed to control offenders in a secure environment while at the same time allowing them to maintain employment. True or False

Answer 28

true

Question 29

Intensive supervision probation requires a reduced caseload for probation officers? True or False

Answer 29

true

Question 30

Shock probation is scaring offenders into desisting from crime by exposing them to prison only briefly. True or False

Answer 30

True - Shock probation was initiated in Ohio during the 1970s and was designed to literally shock offenders into desisting from crime by briefly exposing them to the horrors of prison.