Stop the Flow into Prisons by Supporting Probation
Probation departments are instrumental in slowing the number of prisoners entering state correctional facilities, thereby eliminating the need for costly prison construction and maintenance. However, probation departments do not receive the necessary resources to adequately support their ongoing efforts – especially through programming – to produce successful probationers.
Additionally, because under current funding structures, probationers’ fees comprise the largest percentage of probation departments’ budgets, departments lose income when a person is no longer on probation. Essentially, when departments decide to re-focus their resources on high-risk probationers and release other individuals early from probation for successfully meeting their probation terms (critical to slowing the number of people entering prison through revocations), the departments are financially penalized. Texas cannot continue to punish departments that are meeting the state’s public safety needs, and therefore it should supplement departments to make up for any missing income.
Another obstacle facing probation departments is the lack of overall statewide criminal justice strategic planning, which makes the use and implementation of evidence-based practices even more difficult to accomplish. As such, it is imperative that the State provide technical assistance to all 122 probation departments to ensure more effective supervision practices that will address the root causes of criminal behavior.