Community Supervision

This class has opened my eyes in the supervision of probationer and parolee. Even though I work in the law enforcement field, I did not have direct contact with probationer and parolee. In the beginning I did question why was there so many probationer and parolee in the community and not in prisons or jails? After reading the textbook and many thoughtful discussions with fellow classmates, I learned that parole and probation serve as “release valve for overcrowded prisons”. I did not fully realize of the different types of community supervision an individual may be eligible for (i.e. diversion, pretrial intervention, and conditional release). The success of the community supervision programs depends on the individual and how the rehabilitative programs are able to fulfill the individual’s needs. First, …show more content…
Treatments services need to suitable for the individuals such as housing, treatment levels (halfway houses, residential, or day reporting), vocational training, case management, continuum of care for parolee, and most importantly is recidivism. Community supervision programs have to focus on prevention of recidivism. It is pointless to allocate copious amount of financial and human resources, if individuals’ continuously break the laws. Another critical aspect of community supervision I forgot to mention is the significant of classification. With proper classification on an individual, a tailor –made corrective action can be set forth. This is best illustrated in Jaycee Dugard where the failure of inappropriate classification leads to numerous faults and oversights. After the fact, the classification program was revamped to properly assess individual offenders. The lesson from this class is not to be so judgmental when I come across probationer and parolee. Instead, I should try to ask how they are doing in their probation or parole. Are they having any issues or hardships during this time