Juvenile Probation and Community Corrections

Probation is a critical part of the juvenile justice system. Probation is under scrutiny. This examines both traditional and nontraditional community interventions and focuses on some of the problems with these approaches to the delinquency problem. It describes pro­bation and aftercare for juveniles. Youths who are placed on formal probation supervision in court follow various conditions, such as reporting regularly to a probation officer, obeying the law, attending school, and remaining within the geographical jurisdiction of the court. Many states have aftercare or parole programs for youths released from state training schools, group homes, or forestry camp place­ments. Youths on aftercare status follow specific condi­tions and report on a regular basis to a parole officer. The chapter also highlights some of the current trends in community interventions. One current approach in juvenile corrections is the balanced approach. “This philosophy requires the system to provide balanced attention to the need for competency development, accountability, and community safety and requires efforts to restore, to the greatest extent possible, the victim and community to their precrime status.” Probation programs and other programs that incorporate evi­dence-based principles and practices can both reduce recidivism and save money.