Posted: September 9th, 2022

History and development of probation and parole in the correctional system

History and development of probation and parole in the correctional system

Parole and probation are types of community corrections designed to mitigate the harshness of the punishment. In the middle ages, the English criminal law punished severely punished offenders for crimes that were not always of serious nature. The common sentences were mutilation, branding, flogging, and execution. Inhumane punishment caused discontent in the progress of criminal law segments. Therefore, various measures were adopted, leading to releases as long as the offenders can take lesser sentences or secure pardons. Modern probation applied to an individual who did not seem hopelessly corrupt. The youthful offenders were sentenced to one-day terms and sent back to their guardians for supervision (Abadinsky,2017).
The four reasons for probation are; to deter crime, rehabilitate, ensure public safety, and prevent incarceration. Convicted individuals on probation are assigned supervision because they are first time offenders. The system is designed to keep offenders from jail. The offender is required to adhere to strict rules and conditions. The judge issues the probation sentence during a trial. The individual is expected to report to the parole officer daily. Probation is assigned only after the individual has served some time in prison or jail.
According to (Petersilia 2013), the departments of main probation focus is on ensuring public safety. Their overarching law is on law enforcement; thus, they keep an eye over the probates to ensure that they comply with the law.
Both probation and parole are assigned to rehabilitate criminals by keeping them for prison. Parole is handed after the offender has served minimum time in jail. The parole process differs depending on community sanctions. An offender on parole violation is at risk of re-incarceration. Parole began in the U.S in 1870. Reform advocates helped to shape the concept of parole, which was established in the mid-1940s.The types of parole assigned include expiatory. Mandatory and discretionary (Petersilia,2013).
Discretionary parole is assigned to the well-behaving prisoners who have completed the required steps to integrate back to society. The parole is given before the mandatory parole eligibility date. When an individual goes to the parole board, they must get granted discretionary parole with conditions. Mandatory parole is assigned when the prisoner has achieved more days out of infractions. These days are described as good days. The days include when the offender was free from incidents such as tickets or write-ups. Research shows that an offender reflects good behavior for every week, two days can get taken off their sentence (Abadinsky,2017). Eventually, the convergence of this action can lead to mandatory parole. Expiatory parole occurs when the offender has fully served their time. Research states that such individuals often need much supervision out of the three categories.
Parole and probation practices are considered to be beneficial and an alternative to incarceration. According to (Abadinsky 2017), it is a cost-efficient way to keep communities safe and avoid imprisonment. In 2013, successful parole completion was at 42%. Probation and parole have similar issues, including new charges, absconding, and revocation failures. The lower success rate has caused criticism over the process. The parole system ends up being lenient on some criminals and hard on low-level inmates. For example, the offenders who get expiatory release often need more prison supervision, yet they receive the smallest amount of parole. Also, concepts like non-revocable parole release an offender without any check ins as long as they don’t violate the terms of parole. This parole’s basic premise means that a lot of offenders are released without supervision, thus risking safety. The goals of probation and parole must be understood before setting the conditions of control. Many conditions of the parole and probation system are implemented arbitrarily without reason. For instance, when inmates get out of prison, they are forced to obtain employment and a diploma without skills immediately. The system should adjust to cater for individual needs and risks. The jurisdiction pertains to general conditions that apply to all probations regardless of the offense. For example, the jurisdiction revokes individuals who have not completed their GED. However, not everyone needs to attend school if they already have a job (Petersilia,2013).
The general probation conditions can get hard to implement. Implementing revocation based on hanging out with criminal friends. Failing to pay fees and fines or not getting employed only results in mass incarceration. The offenders do not need supervision for such conditions. The only requirement should be to abide by the law and avoid committing new crimes. The probation conditions should concentrate on a couple of areas that would reduce recidivism and improve their lives (Petersilia,2013).
Parole and probation systems are designed to give supervision to criminal offenders. Parole is given to individuals who have already served time while probation is granted in place of jail time. However, these systems may fail to achieve their goal of preventing incarceration and ensuring society’s safety. Probation and parole conditions led to recidivism and mass incarceration. The key to significant parole and probation is to understand the goal of probation. Understanding the goals of probation is essential to ensure the right people are on probation. Also, it will dictate the probation terms and conditions.

References
Abadinsky, H. (2017). Probation and parole: Theory and practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Petersilia, J. (2013). Parole and prisoner reentry in the United States. Crime and Justice, 26, 479-529.

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