CH 6 Flashcards
What is a sentence imposed on convicted offenders that allows them to remain supervised in the community instead of being sent to prison?
a. Probation
Most of the sentences handed down by the courts in the United States are probation orders. True or False
True - Probation is the most common sentence in the United States, and it comprises 90% of the country’s sentences
Almost all probationers successfully complete probation. True or False
False - About half of probationers successfully complete probation. Consider probation violations.
Who created the first probation system in the United States?
The first real probation system was developed during the 1840s by a cobbler named John Augustus.
Which state developed the first official probation system?
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.
Early courts used ______, whereby a judge would suspend the sentence and the defendant would be released on his own recognizance.
A judicial reprieve was a delay in sentencing following a conviction. Early courts often used a judicial reprieve to delay an offender’s sentence.
The passage of the National Probation Act of 1925 allowed ______.
The National Probation Act allowed judges to suspend sentences and place convicted individuals on probation.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of adults under community supervision at the end of 2016 has ______.
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.
Which racial or ethnic group comprises the largest percentage of the probation population in the United States?
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.
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 ______.
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.
Men make up about 75% of the adult probation population, and people who are White make up 55% of it. True or False
true
Probation costs approximately $25,000 less per year than incarceration. True or False
True - For each person placed on probation rather than incarcerated, taxpayers save more than $25,000, and these savings apply every year.
What does the general population think about probation?
The general public thinks that probation is too soft on crime and that it allows people to “get away with” committing crimes.
How do experienced offenders view prison time versus probation?
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.
What is a benefit of probation?
Probation is more cost-effective than incarceration. It costs nearly nine times more for imprisonment than for community supervision
More offenders get into trouble because of pathologies rather than deficiencies. True or False
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.
Community corrections is a good solution for ______.
Community corrections is a good solution for offenders who do not pose a risk to public safety.
Probation officers in the United States do not carry firearms. True or False
False - Being a probation office can be dangerous. Currently, 35 states allow them to carry firearms.
Probation officers have two main roles—law enforcement officer and ______.
Probation officers act as both law enforcement officers and social workers. The dual roles mark them as law enforcement officers and as social workers.
Probation officers work for the ______.
Probation officers work for the courts, and they are responsible for enforcing court orders. Probation officers are considered officers of the court.
Why might probationary officers and probationers have difficulty building rapport with one another?
Most probation officers are a different race, class, and/or gender than their probationer. This can make it difficult to build trust and rapport.
Which type of probation officer tends to be most effective?
Hybrid officers are found to be most effective. They successfully combine elements from the law enforcement and counselor roles.
About half of probationers are ultimately incarcerated. True or False
False - About 15% of probationers are ultimately incarcerated. This amounts to about 600,000 people.
What is the term for connections to others and to social institutions that promote pro-social behavior and discourage antisocial behavior?
Social bonds are the connections to others and to social institutions that promote pro-social behavior and discourage antisocial behavior.
An increasing severity of punishment that meets the increasing seriousness of a violation is called ______.
Graduated sanctions increase the severity of punishment for more serious probation violations.
What does the success of Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation With Enforcement (HOPE) suggest?
Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation With Enforcement (HOPE) has proven to be an effective authoritative hybrid program in probation.
A person who has several positive relationships in social networks that he or she can count on for support has ______.
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.
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
true
Intensive supervision probation requires a reduced caseload for probation officers? True or False
true
Shock probation is scaring offenders into desisting from crime by exposing them to prison only briefly. True or False
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.
