BCJ 2000 Introduction to criminal justice Explain probation and parole and the a
ID: 3488477 • Letter: B
Question
BCJ 2000 Introduction to criminal justiceExplain probation and parole and the advantages and disadvantages of both. Your response should be at least 200 words in length.
Criminal Justice wasn’t in the subject I could select. Could this question get sent to the right tutor? BCJ 2000 Introduction to criminal justice
Explain probation and parole and the advantages and disadvantages of both. Your response should be at least 200 words in length.
Criminal Justice wasn’t in the subject I could select. Could this question get sent to the right tutor? BCJ 2000 Introduction to criminal justice
Criminal Justice wasn’t in the subject I could select. Could this question get sent to the right tutor?
Explanation / Answer
Probation:
Probation refers to a period of time before a person is actually sent to prison or jail. When defendants receive probation, instead of pronouncing the sentence and sending them straight to prison or jail, the judge gives them an opportunity to show that they want to rehabilitate themselves. In this case, either the party is given probation without a pre-determined sentence, or the judge will find the defendant guilty, and temporarily suspend the sentence while the defendant is on probation. If defendants do everything the judge instructs them to do, then they will not be sent to prison to finish their sentence or given a new sentence based on the probation violation and initial crime.
Parole:
Parole refers to the period of time after a defendant is released from prison. A defendant on parole will face many of the same controls or safeguards as probation. Conditions of parole may include requiring a defendant to stay in a halfway house and continuing with payments on fines and other financial obligations.
Instead of a probation officer, a defendant on parole usually reports to a parole officer. The parole officer explains the rules of parole and expectations of a party on parole to the defendant and monitors his progress. As with a regular probation, if a defendant fails to comply with his parole conditions, then the parole officer could file a report with the parole board. The parole board may, based on the defendant's behavior while on parole, order the defendant returned to prison to finish the balance of his sentence.
Advantages of Probation:
Probation allows some flexibility in the handling of criminal offenders. It permits judges to make discretionary decisions about an individual's ability to function in society, giving them more options than simply sending an offender to prison. Probation is a system of "second chances" that simultaneously maintains monitoring mechanisms over would-be criminals. It provides individuals a chance to redeem themselves, but monitors their behavior and progress to prevent them from committing crimes again.
Disadvantages of Probation:
Probation is generally considered a better alternative than jail (from the perspective of a convict and his family), but it still represents an incursion by the state into the lives of individuals. Millions of people are "in the system" under probation, a fact that has been criticized by sociologists, constitutional rights activists, civil rights leaders and others, who claim that ensnaring so many people in the criminal justice system is detrimental to both the individual and society. Other critics of probation may claim that it gives criminals too much leeway in letting them live freely when they should, in fact, be imprisoned.
Advantages of Parole:
Parole is the early release of convicts from prison, prior to the completion of their given sentence. Parole is issued based on good behavior or the parole board's determination that the convict has been sufficiently reformed to re-enter society. Therein lies its foremost advantage: the provision of fresh opportunity and the chance to start anew for criminals. It is also advantageous to the public to reduce the number of people incarcerated, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars per prisoner per year. Furthermore, reducing incarceration rates is conducive to a free, democratic society.
Disadvantages of Parole:
Parole involves the risk that the parolee may become a repeat offender (known as recidivism in the criminal justice field). It also involves the risk that he won't, in fact, be able to survive on his own upon release, and will fall victim to chronic unemployment, homelessness, social maladjustment or substance abuse. Another disadvantage of parole is that it frequently involves the continuation of involvement by the criminal justice system (at a financial cost to the public and to the detriment of individual liberty) in the parolee's life, because parole is often accompanied by monitoring for a certain period thereafter.
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