Pros And Cons Of Intensive Probation

Joscelyn Hernandez

COR 202

Intensive Probation

The United States Criminal Justice System has several options available when it comes to sentencing. Probation is one that we hear of most when it comes to first time offenders as well as juvenile offenders. John Augustus first developed probation in Boston in 1841. The first probation law was enacted in Massachusetts in 1878. By the 1990’s the juvenile justice system was far more effective as it began taking greater measures. In 2010, probation was used in approximately 53 percent of juvenile delinquency cases. Typically, probation sentences are circumstantial, and are imposed under very specific terms and conditions. These must be followed by the defendant unless he or she would like to return

One of those many changes was the separation of conventional rehabilitative methods to accepting new intermediate sanctions. “The rationale for intermediate punishments was based, in part, on the assumption that a wider range of sentencing options would allow judges to better match the punishments they issued to the seriousness of the offences committed” (Petersen and Palumbo, 1997). Intermediate sanctions are alternate punishments which fall between regular probation and incarceration. This can include community based treatment programs, in-patient drug treatment programs, house arrest, electronic monitoring, boot camps, and intense supervision. Some of the offenders may be required to attend therapy sessions whether that be family therapy, drug and alcohol therapy, or cognitive behavioral therapy. Other recommendations/ likely requirements would be parenting classes, mentoring programs, and interpersonal skill

Many of these I listed prior that pertained to adult offenders under ISP, as the system is dealing with juveniles more services would be offereded due to the fact that it is seem as a priority to ensure that any juveniles entering the system be rehabilitated and released back into society as soon as possible. When discussing the pros and cons of the program, the good most definitely outweighs the bad. One of the most important strengths would be that JISP programs are substantially less expensive than cost of incarcerating. In 2009, the Justice Policy Institute reported that it costs about $240 per day to hold a youth in secure settings. States were spending in excess of $5.7 billion dollar on youth