Probation
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Probation
Probation is defined as a court sentence whereby a convict is released from prisons or confinement centers to serve the sentences outside these centers but still under supervision according to the criminal law. In most cases, probation is looked at as community sentences which are substitutes to imprisonment. Probation most times is offered to convicts who have constantly proved good behaviors during their service in prisons. It is termed as an assessment or pre-release investigation that a prisoner is expected to undertake before the likelihood of full release from prisons. It is a form of a punishment in criminal justice demonstrated for criminal defendants where the judiciary has the authority as per the statutes. Probation allows a convict to go free with a deferred sentence with his / her demonstration of good behaviors.
In probation, the probationers are expected to be supervised by probation staff known as probation officers. Offenders under parole are required to adhere to certain conditions or guidelines provided by the courts. In most cases, they are expected to carry out available community services in public institutions like cleaning, attending to the compounds, planting trees, and organizing office furniture. During this period, probationers are required to demonstrate law-abiding behaviors, continue working or take part in training programs, live within the allowed areas, follow or adhere to any setup restrictions, and most a times desist from interaction with the victims of their crimes if at all they live in the same jurisdiction. Probationers are also refrained from the use or access any form of drugs during the probation period. There are different forms of probation, including Intensive Supervision, Standard, Unsupervised, Informal, and Shock Probations, which are applied based on the convict’s conduct. It is important to note that a convict under probation can be taken back to jail if the probation officer reports any display of unwarranted behaviors.
References. Abadinsky, Howard. 2003. Probation and Parole: Theory and Practice. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice-Hall.
Bieluch, Brian G., 2002. “Probation.” Georgetown Law Journal 90.