History and Mission of the Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections Agencies

Criminal Justice
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Introduction
Parole and probation are community corrections agencies commonly utilized in the United States in place of conventional incarceration. Probation is a criminal sentence where offenders are released to serve a sentence guided by restrictions set by the judicial system for a particular period at home. At the same time, parole is the early release of prisoners before their sentence lapses due to good behavior to be supervised by parole officers in the community. With about ten million inmates under the authority of the criminal justice structure in the US, 4.5 million of them are under parole or probation. The community correction agencies include probation and parole, restitution, concentrated supervision, community service, boot camps, and fines.
History of Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections
Modern probation in America traces its origin in 1841 through the actions of John Augustus. John showed up in Boston court in 1841 to get off a common drunkard to his custody for rehabilitation instead of being jailed. Three weeks later, he showed up in court alongside the drunk man, effectively rehabilitated and well kept, thereby paving the way for probation. John worked as a probation officer for the next eighteen years, and upon his death in 1859, a probation statute was passed in Boston to continue his work. In 1881, Massachusetts became the first state to pass a law authorizing probation in the legal system. By 1900, several other states approved probation, with all states following suit to allow its use in the US (Petersilia, 2011, pp. 531-532).
Parole of federal and state inmates in the US began in New York in 1907 to regulate the increasing numbers of inmates in the state’s prisons. Inmates who had committed minor offenses or adopted good behavior in the prisons were granted early release. The correctional board supervisors would oversee them, ensure they do not commit more crimes, and regularly report to their parole officer. By 1942, all states and the federal government had implemented the federal system, releasing about 72% of inmates by 1977 (Petersilia, 2011, pp. 531-532).
The mission of the probation and parole community corrections is to guard the public interest and safety through the promotion of positive changes of offenders before successfully reintroducing them into society while upholding the primary values and ethics of the law. The agencies seek to achieve this by; helping the courts enforce the law through probation and offering services and programs that give convicted individuals the opportunity to obey the law and reduce crime, rearresting, and victimization—also, giving offenders a chance to work toward being productive members of society (American Probation and Parole Association, 2021).
Legal, Social, and Political Challenges Facing Community Corrections
Community corrections experience a host of challenges. One of th...