Persistence and Desistance Narratives: Understanding the Role of Correctional and Probation Officers in Reducing Recidivism

Forensic social workers and criminal justice reform advocates must better understand how correctional and probation officers influence offender recidivism. Justice system reform efforts focusing on policing and the courts often ignore the roles of correctional and probation officers. Returning citizens' internal “persistence” and “desistance” narratives influence future criminality and successful reintegration into their communities. Correctional and probation officers may influence these persistence and desistance narratives. A narrative analysis investigating the experiences of three Black male returning citizens in Baltimore, Maryland, shows that a person's ability to make sense of their interactions with probation officers while serving community corrections sentences and their interactions with correctional officers within prisons may be one of many factors that influence persistence and desistance narratives.

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Universal precautions: A methodology for trauma-informed justice

Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being ◽

10.35502/jcswb.194 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

pp. 156-159

Author(s):

Daniel J. Jones

Keyword(s):

Police Officers ◽

Justice System ◽

Correctional Officers ◽

Probation Officers ◽

Traumatic Experiences ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Universal Precautions ◽

First Aid Training ◽

Trauma Informed ◽

Offending Behaviour

The research clearly indicates that the vast majority of individuals involved in the justice system who display offending behaviour have experienced trauma, victimization, or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Knowing this to be empirically factual raises the question, why is this not highlighted in the training of police officers, correctional officers, parole and probation officers, crown prosecutors, defence lawyers, and judges alike? An understanding of the Justice Client and their complex trauma could have important consequences on how all justice actors interact with people who experience the justice system. Knowing that these individuals were often victims long before they were offending could bring a more compassionate lens to the justice system. Having traumatic experiences is not the cause of offending, but it is often present in the offending population. The prevalence of trauma among the offending population, who themselves have often traumatized their victims, suggests a much-needed change in how police are trained to interact with Justice Clients. This paper applies the concept of Universal Precautions from first aid training in the development of practical policy to create a justice system based in compassion.

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Engaging Employers and Business in the Hiring of Individuals with Criminal Records

Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling ◽

10.1891/0047-2220.45.4.15 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (4) ◽

pp. 15-24 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Gordon Swensen ◽

John Rakis ◽

Melanie G. Snyder ◽

Randall E. Loss

Keyword(s):

Criminal Justice ◽

Criminal Justice System ◽

Justice System ◽

Criminal Records ◽

Recidivism Rates ◽

Lancaster County ◽

System A ◽

Collaborative Community ◽

Reducing Recidivism

The successful reentry and reintegration of ex-offenders with disabilities will be discussed in terms of barrier removal, employer perception, and an improved relationship with the criminal justice system. A criminal record limits opportunitiesfor employment and without collaborative community supports can increase both recidivism rates and increase costs to an over-burdened criminal justice system. Employer relationships, including outreach, marketing and evidence-based partneringlcollaboration will be reviewed, including a model program from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania that supports the discussion. Special considerations for those with sex offenses will be provided, as well as efforts to eliminate the stigma involved with criminal and/or felony records. The correlation between disability and delinquency in terms of both impairment and vocational impediments is described through three disabilities (TBL Substance Abuse/Dependency, and Mental Illness). The role of the VR counselor in terms of community efforts at reducing recidivism, increasing employment outcomes for ex-offenders/clients, through effective partnerships, can affect significantly both societal and economic improvement, as well as impact overall recidivism, reentry and community reintegration issues for ex-offenders.

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Victim’s interests and the role of probation officers in victim-offender mediation: Theoretical analysis and the Greek juvenile justice system

Temida ◽

10.2298/tem2001079p ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 79-106

Author(s):

Konstantinos Panagos

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Offenders ◽

Juvenile Justice ◽

Justice System ◽

Juvenile Justice System ◽

Probation Officers ◽

Third Party ◽

General Nature ◽

Mediation Process

The present paper focuses on the role of probation officers for juvenile offenders in victim-offender mediation and on the main challenges for the protection of victims? interests. The general nature of probation officers? duties has been characterized as ?offender-focused?. However, according to the Directive 2012/29/EU, restorative justice includes processes through which the victim and the offender can participate actively in resolving the problems that occur from the offence, with the help of an impartial third party. The Greek juvenile justice system will be examined as a case study. The analysis reveals that the Greek legislator has adopted a ?quasi-restorative? practice that promotes juvenile offenders? rehabilitation and socialization. This fact raises concerns regarding the ?legitimation? of mediation process from a victimological perspective. Special emphasis is given to the significance of the informed consent that should be provided by the victims in order to participate in the process based on the procedural justice theory.

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Out with “Fine Time,” in with Financial Waivers: Recent Developments in Massachusetts Probation Fines and Fees Policies

Social Sciences ◽

10.3390/socsci10100391 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 391

Author(s):

Matheson Sanchez ◽

Shytierra Gaston

Keyword(s):

Criminal Justice ◽

Policy Development ◽

Justice System ◽

Probation Officers ◽

Future Research ◽

Criminal Justice Reform ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Recent Reform ◽

Fine Time ◽

Research And Policy

The criminal justice system routinely imposes financial sanctions on probation clients. These fines, fees, and restitution debts often amount to more than what many clients can reasonably afford to pay. Until recently, Massachusetts courts have incarcerated clients solely for their inability to pay these debts in a practice known as “fine time”. In 2018, the state passed a landmark criminal justice reform bill that restricted the types of cases in which fine time can be ordered. Clients that can establish that payment would lead to financial hardship can now petition the court for a financial waiver accompanied by community service. The current study seeks to explore the implications of the recent reform efforts on probation services by analyzing surveys gathered from a sample of 121 Massachusetts probation officers in 2020. Descriptive findings of officers’ attitudes toward fines and fees, responses to nonpayment by clients, and the use of financial waivers are presented. Officers’ perceptions and practices align with the recent reform efforts, suggesting support among probation personnel for policies that limit punitive responses to nonpayment of legal debts by their supervisees. Possible directions for future research and policy development are discussed.

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Follow the Actors: Ethnographic Keys for Understanding Legal Activism for Criminal Justice Reform in Argentina

The Age of Human Rights Journal ◽

10.17561/tahrj.n13.4 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 63-74

Author(s):

Julieta Mira

Keyword(s):

Criminal Justice ◽

Social Order ◽

Justice System ◽

Ethnographic Research ◽

System Reform ◽

Theoretical Concepts ◽

Criminal Justice Reform ◽

Public Events ◽

Legal Activism ◽

Procedural Reform

This article presents the research backroom about the legal activism in the criminal justice system reform following the ethnographic strategy. In particular, it addresses the “struggle” for “accusatory” criminal procedural reform at the federal level in Argentina since the end of the last dictatorship (1976-1983). Specifically it is about: a) participation in public events as an entrée to the field; b) native etnographer; c) native categories and theoretical concepts; d) the cause-based “partisanism” (militancia) and legal activism; and e) reform flags as cosmologies of social order. Finally, the article offers an analysis of the benefits of ethnographic research with legal activists in the field of human rights.

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The Role of Bureaucracy in Deregulation – The Case of Justice System Reform in Japan

Corporate Governance in ContextCorporations, States, and Markets in Europe, Japan, and the US ◽

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199290703.003.0018 ◽

2005 ◽

pp. 352-361

Author(s):

Kahei Rokumoto

Keyword(s):

Justice System ◽

System Reform

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The Overall and Gendered Effects of Postrelease Supervision on Recidivism: A Propensity Score Analysis

Criminal Justice and Behavior ◽

10.1177/0093854819847697 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 46 (7) ◽

pp. 1020-1043 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amy D. Miller ◽

Melissa S. Jones ◽

Cyrus Schleifer

Keyword(s):

Propensity Score ◽

Justice System ◽

Propensity Score Analysis ◽

Effect Sizes ◽

Criminological Research ◽

Score Analysis ◽

Reducing Recidivism ◽

Matching Techniques ◽

The Relationship

Although research recognizes gender differences in offending and interactions with the criminal justice system, few studies have explored the role of gender in the relationship between postrelease supervision and recidivism. Building on feminist criminological research, this study uses a feminist pathways theoretical framework to investigate the overall and gendered effects of postrelease supervision on multiple measures of recidivism. Using a large sample of offenders released from prisons in Florida ( N = 141,338) and propensity score matching techniques, this study uncovers that postrelease supervision is associated with a very small (4% to 4.5%) reduction in recidivism. Moreover, the effect sizes from the analyses also indicate that postrelease supervision plays a greater role in reducing recidivism among men, but the effects for women are much smaller. Based on this study’s findings, policymakers should consider the importance of gender in designing appropriate programming in prison and developing postrelease techniques in reducing recidivism.

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