U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

STUDY OF PROBATION EFFECTIVENESS

NCJ Number
49868
Journal
JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL LAW, CRIMINOLOGY AND POLICE SCIENCE Volume: 59 Issue: 3 Dated: (1968) Pages: 361-369
Author(s)
F R SCARPITTI; R M STEPHENSON
Date Published
1968
Length
9 pages
Annotation
THIS PAPER PRESENTS DATA ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBATION AS A TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR 16 AND 17 YEAR OLD DELINQUENT BOYS.
Abstract
DATA PRESENTED IN THIS PAPER WERE COLLECTED AS PART OF A LARGER COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DELINQUENCY TREATMENT FACILITIES. FROM JANUARY 1962 TO JANUARY 1965, SOME ADJUDICATED MALE DELINQUENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 AND 18 FROM ESSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY WERE ADMITTED INTO THE STUDY. OF THESE, 943 WERE COMMITTED TO COUNTY PROBATION SUPERVISION, 100 TO A NONRESIDENTIAL GUIDED GROUP INTERACTION CENTER, 67 TO RESIDENTIAL INTERACTION CENTERS, AND 100 TO THE STATE REFORMATORY. SOCIAL BACKGROUND AND DELINQUENCY DATA, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH BOY TO SEE HOW SUCH DATA RELATED TO PROGRESS IN TREATMENT AND RECIDIVISM. AS A GROUP, BOYS ASSIGNED TO PROBATION APPEARED BETTER OR EASIER CASES THAN THOSE ASSIGNED TO TREATMENT FACILITIES. THEY APPEARED TO COME FROM MORE STABLE FAMILY BACKGROUNDS, TO BE LESS DEPRIVED, AND HAVE A MORE POSITIVE EDUCATIONAL HISTORY. THEIR DELINQUENCY CAREERS WERE SHORTER AND INVOLVED FEWER PAST OFFENSES AND OFFICIAL COURT ACTIONS. MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY SCORES SUGGESTED THAT THE PROBATION GROUP WAS LESS DELINQUENT, LESS ANTISOCIAL, AND BETTER ADJUSTED. OF THE MORE THAN 1,200 BOYS, IT IS CLEARLY EVIDENT THAT THE BEST RISKS WERE ASSIGNED TO PROBATION, AND ON THE BASIS OF THE CRITERIA USED IN THIS STUDY, PROBATION APPEARS TO BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT AGENT, AT LEAST FOR CERTAIN BOYS. MORE SEVERE CASES, SIMILAR TO THOSE ASSIGNED TO INTENSIVE OR PUNITIVE PROGRAMS, DO NOT DO AS WELL ON PROBATION. GROUP CHARACTERISTICS ARE HIGHLIGHTED AND IN-PROGRAM SUCCESS AND FAILURE, CHANGES DURING TREATMENT, AND RECIDIVISM ARE DISCUSSED. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. NO REFERENCE SOURCES ARE CITED. (KBL)