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1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 4 December 2017

Jennifer Cossyleon, John Orwat, Christine George, Don Stemen and Whitney Key

The Cook County State Attorneys’ Deferred Prosecution Program (DPP) is a pre-trial diversionary program that accepts first-time, non-violent defendants charged with a felony…

Abstract

Purpose

The Cook County State Attorneys’ Deferred Prosecution Program (DPP) is a pre-trial diversionary program that accepts first-time, non-violent defendants charged with a felony crime. The purpose of this paper is to document the development, implementation, and program patterns of the DPP to better understand the program’s scope and reach in diverting defendants from traditional criminal prosecution.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach to evaluating Cook County’s DPP is primarily qualitative. Through interviews with program administrators and current and former participants, the authors document the process of creating and implementing such DPP that aims to avoid a felony conviction altogether. The authors provide program participant patterns to shed light on the program’s scope and reach in diverting defendants from traditional felony prosecution.

Findings

Using data from staff, administrators, and program participants, the authors found that the DPP was developed and implemented through supportive leadership who instilled a culture of collaboration and buy-in. Expanding the program could include increasing the capacity of DPP to include additional participants or having a DPP incorporated into each branch court, instead of the centralized system under which it currently operates. Increasing the capacity and scope of the program could both further decrease criminal court caseloads and most importantly avoid a higher number of stigmatizing felony convictions for first-time non-violent defendants.

Practical implications

DPPs are cost effective and can be easily implemented within existing systems. Collaboration and buy-in from all stakeholders are crucial to the program’s success. DPP offers opportunities for expansion. Increasing the capacity and scope of the program could both further decrease criminal court caseloads and most importantly avoid a higher number of stigmatizing felony convictions for first-time non-violent felony defendants.

Originality/value

The main goals of DPP were two-fold. The first was to minimize the level of resources allocated for non-violent offenders in the criminal justice system by diverting such defendants out of the criminal justice system early in the process and reducing the recidivism rates of program participants. The second aimed to provide an option for eligible defendants to avoid a felony conviction, thereby avoiding the collateral consequences associating with a felony conviction.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 3 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 14 October 2022

Abstract

Details

The Justice System and the Family: Police, Courts, and Incarceration
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-360-7

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1998

Ronald E. Vogel and Sam Torres

This article presents research findings on Operation Roundup, a project initiated by the Santa Ana Police Department in Santa Ana, California. The covert police operation was…

1119

Abstract

This article presents research findings on Operation Roundup, a project initiated by the Santa Ana Police Department in Santa Ana, California. The covert police operation was designed to curtail gang activity in a specific neighborhood by securing indictments and arresting 130 violent gang members belonging to the notorious Sixth Street gang. A purposive sample of community members, selected from the neighborhood where the gang members operated, were surveyed before and after the intervention about their fear of crime and perceptions regarding the effectiveness of local law enforcement. The results revealed a decrease in perceptions related to the fear of crime but little change in attitudes toward the police. However, the covert police operation successfully eliminated the Sixth Street gang and their criminal activities from the neighborhood.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 November 2013

Bitna Kim, Adam K. Matz, Jurg Gerber, Dan Richard Beto and Eric Lambert

The current study examines the prevalence, perceived effectiveness, and potential antecedents (e.g. departmental culture) of law enforcement agencies in collaborating with…

1097

Abstract

Purpose

The current study examines the prevalence, perceived effectiveness, and potential antecedents (e.g. departmental culture) of law enforcement agencies in collaborating with probation and parole agencies. Specifically, the study reveals how the leaders (i.e. police chief, sheriff) in law enforcement view police-community corrections partnerships.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from a state-wide survey of all sheriffs’ offices and a random sample of municipal police departments in Texas.

Findings

Findings indicated information sharing and specialized enforcement partnerships were the most common partnership types, partnerships were more common with adult and juvenile probation than with adult parole, and partnerships remain predominantly informal. Finally, police chiefs/sheriffs in the departments with a culture supportive of offender reentry were more likely to support and engage in partnerships with adult/juvenile probation and adult parole agencies.

Originality/value

Even without formal programs, it seems that police-probation/parole partnerships are, in one form or another, practically inevitable. The positive evaluation of law enforcement personnel leaves room for hope for expansions of such partnerships in the future.

Details

Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol. 36 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 July 2019

Victoria D. Ojeda, Laura Romero and Arisa Ortiz

The purpose of this paper is to describe a sustainable free laser tattoo removal clinic for economically disadvantaged adult probationers.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe a sustainable free laser tattoo removal clinic for economically disadvantaged adult probationers.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper describes the partnerships, methods and challenges/lessons learned from the implementation of a free monthly laser tattoo removal program for adult probationers within a medical school setting in California.

Findings

Possible patients are identified via a collaboration with the county’s Probation Department. Founded in 2016, this monthly program has provided tattoo removal services to >37 adult patient probationers, many of whom receive follow-up treatments. Clients seek to remove about four blue/black ink tattoos. Since its inception, 23 dermatology residents have volunteered in the program. Challenges to patients’ ongoing participation primarily pertain to scheduling issues; strategies for overcoming barriers to participation are provided. No safety concerns have emerged.

Social implications

Programs such as this public-private partnership may benefit probationers by eliminating financial barriers associated with tattoo removal. This model supports the training of cohorts of dermatologists seeking community service opportunities related to laser medicine. Others seeking to implement a similar program may also consider expanding treatment days/times to facilitate access for working probationers, providing enrollment options for other health and social services (e.g. public insurance, food stamp programs) and hosting a mobile onsite clinic to address clients’ physical and mental health needs.

Originality/value

This paper describes a unique collaboration between law enforcement and a medical school and it may assist other jurisdictions in establishing free tattoo removal programs for the benefit of probationers. The methods described overcome challenges regarding the implementation of this specialized clinical service.

Book part
Publication date: 21 May 2012

Sarah Brown

In the evaluation of most interventions in criminal justice settings, evaluators have no control over assignment to treatment and control/comparison conditions, which means that…

Abstract

In the evaluation of most interventions in criminal justice settings, evaluators have no control over assignment to treatment and control/comparison conditions, which means that the treated and comparison groups may have differences that lead to biased conclusions regarding treatment effectiveness. Propensity score analysis can be used to balance the differences in the groups, which can be used in a number of ways to reduce biased conclusions regarding effectiveness. A review of propensity scoring studies was conducted for this chapter, where the limited number of evaluations of criminal justice interventions using these methods was identified. Due to the small number of these studies, research was also reviewed if propensity scoring had been employed to evaluate interventions that are similar to those in criminal justice systems. These studies are used as examples to demonstrate how the methods can be used to evaluate criminal justice interventions, the different ways propensity scores can be used to analyse treatment and comparison group differences, and the strengths and limitations of this approach. It is concluded that, while not appropriate for all interventions/settings, propensity score analysis can be useful in criminal justice arenas, at least to investigate the comparability of treatment and comparison groups, with suspected non-comparability being a common weakness of traditional quasi-experimental studies and frequently cited limitation in terms of drawing efficacy conclusions from such evaluations.

Details

Perspectives on Evaluating Criminal Justice and Corrections
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78052-645-4

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2015

Kevin Yeates

– The purpose of this paper is to explore the complex factors associated with informed consent in probation and parole settings.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the complex factors associated with informed consent in probation and parole settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The author conducted a literature review exploring informed consent in correctional settings. To identify articles for review, the author searched electronic peer-reviewed literature databases for articles on: informed consent, corrections, probation, parole, voluntariness, and coercion.

Findings

There is evidence in the literature to suggest that the informed consent process is significantly more complicated within correctional settings than in civilian contexts. The use of implicit and explicit coercion and determining an offender’s voluntariness status may be a problematic prospect unique to the setting. This manuscript makes recommendations to ensure informed consent is truly obtained and to safeguard client welfare.

Originality/value

There is a paucity of literature on providing mental health services in probation and parole settings. Furthermore, this paper is unique in discussing factors associated with the informed consent process in that context.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 December 2019

Frank Morven and J. Barton Cunningham

The purpose of this paper is to define different types of culturally commensurate experiences, events, activities and interventions which Indigenous people find relevant for…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to define different types of culturally commensurate experiences, events, activities and interventions which Indigenous people find relevant for improving cultural diversity.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on interviews and surveys with Indigenous Probations Officers, the authors define a framework of nine experiences and events relevant to the organization, team and cultural development.

Findings

The key finding lies in proposing a framework of what Indigenous Probation Officers finding lies view as commensurate experiences, activities or interventions which recognize their cultural context (American Psychological Association, 2003).

Research limitations/implications

The key limitations to this study are the size of the sample and the inability to conclusively argue that the framework of experiences developed can claim to represent those important for improving recruitment and retentions of all Indigenous Probation Officers. Further exploratory research of this type is necessary to add to this research in guiding future research and practice.

Practical implications

The definition of a multicultural experiences offered here might be useful in encouraging Probation Officers and others in developing a deeper appreciation of cultures of Indigenous peoples and other groups.

Social implications

The purpose is to better understand an Indigenous perspective on enhancing a connection to culture within the Corrections system.

Originality/value

Rather than using a list of competencies to shape behaviors and experiences that people practice, the underlying assumption is to encourage cultural multiculturalism framework competency development by focusing on experiences and events important to objectives related to improving diversity.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 February 2010

Stacy Lee Burns and Mark Peyrot

Purpose – This study tracks the legal control of the problem of substance abuse.Methodology/Approach – The chapter explores the “natural history” of the evolution of the social…

Abstract

Purpose – This study tracks the legal control of the problem of substance abuse.

Methodology/Approach – The chapter explores the “natural history” of the evolution of the social construction of drug use and our collective response to it. Over the past 100 years, our understanding of drug use/abuse and the system for handling drug problems have gone through a series of changes. In the past 20 years or so, provision of treatment for drug offenders within the criminal justice system has rapidly expanded. California's recently enacted Proposition 36 (Prop 36) initiates for the first time on a mass basis the court-supervised drug treatment that began a decade earlier on a much smaller scale with the original drug courts. This chapter compares the Prop 36 program for diverting nonviolent drug offenders into court-supervised treatment with the original drug courts.

Findings – The research shows how court-supervised drug treatment has evolved from a personalized care program in the original drug courts to a mass processing operation under Prop 36. The research finds that the social problem solution of offering treatment to more drug defendants created its own unanticipated consequences and problems, including significant standardization in the operations of the court and a dilution of many useful features that defined the early drug courts.

Practical implications – “Farming out” drug defendants to probation and treatment makes case-processing and treatment potentially less effective therapeutically. The chapter raises questions about how social control can extend its domain without “breaking the bank” and what the consequences are for how social problems are handled.

Details

New Approaches to Social Problems Treatment
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-737-0

Abstract

Details

You’re Hired!
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-489-7

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