Tools for Practitioners | Probation Officers

For Probation Officers

Reports and Guides

The following are recommendations from the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition:

Policy Recommendations - Check out TCJC's 2008 policy recommendations on how to fix prison overcrowding.

Successful Probationers Need Positive Incentives - Because probationers are supervised in an ineffective system - and because offenders on probation in Texas receive the longest probation term in the nation - incarcerating revoked probationers costs Texas taxpayers millions. Find out why offering incentives to non-violent offenders will benefit Texas’ safety. (1 page fact sheet)
Top Ten Performance Measures - Departments whose plans demonstrate supervision practices and policies consistent with evidence-based findings should be given preference by CJAD when it comes to distribution of discretionary funds. Learn more about the basic components that prove to be the most effective program designs and show the best outcomes. (1 page fact sheet)

The following series of papers is by the National Institute of Corrections and the Crime and Justice Institute:

Implementing Evidence-Based Principles in Community Corrections: Collaboration for Systemic Change in the Criminal Justice System - This paper provides the reader with the essential elements of collaboration and valuable information as to why collaboration should be used. (9 pages)
Implementing Evidence-Based Principles in Community Corrections: Leading Organizational Change and Development - Sections of this publication include changing the way business is done (the integrated model), organizational case management, the leadership challenge, the influence of infrastructure, the integrated organizational change process model, the importance of a healthy organization, leadership styles and leading change, managing transitions, and structural supports for change. This is a must-read. (April 2004, 19 pages)
Implementing Evidence-Based Practice in Community Corrections: The Principles of Effective Intervention - Topics discussed include evidence-based practice (EBP); term clarification; the eight principles for effective interventions (assess actuarial risk/needs, enhance intrinsic motivation, target interventions, skill train with directed practice, increase positive reinforcement, engage ongoing support in natural communities, measure relevant processes/practices, and provide measurement feedback); components of correctional interventions; implementing EBP principles; applying the principles at the case, agency, and system levels; recommended strategies for implementing effective interventions; and levels of research evidence. (April 2004, 21 pages)
Implementing Effective Correctional Management of Offenders in the Community: An Integrated Model - This document introduces the integrated model and provides three supporting documents that offer more in-depth information on each of the model components: Leading Organizational Change and Development, Collaboration for Systemic Change in the Criminal Justice System, and The Principles of Effective Intervention. Note: The unique feature of this model is its insistence that systemic change cannot be fully implemented or sustained without equal and integrated focus on evidence-based principles, organizational development, and collaboration. (April 2004, 3 pages)

These guides are also by the National Institute of Corrections:

A Guide for Probation and Parole: Motivating Offenders to Change - This guide provides probation and parole officers and other correctional professionals with a solid grounding in the principles behind Motivational Interviewing (which involves listening to offenders and following up on the positive aspects of their speech and thinking), as well as a practical guide for applying these principles in their everyday dealings with offenders. (June 2007, 117 pages)
Technical Assistance, Information, and Training for Adult Corrections - The National Institute of Correction's Service Plan for fiscal year 2008 contains opportunities available to those working in local, state, and federal corrections. Programming, information services, technical assistance, distance learning via satellite/Internet broadcasts, the NIC Learning Center, and partnership programs are described. An application for individuals, a statement of interest to host partnership programs, and an application for the regional field coordinator position are included. (July 2007, 119 pages)

The following are additional resources for probation officers:

Probation and Parole’s Growing Caseloads and Workload Allocation: Strategies for Managerial Decision Making, American Probation & Parole Association – This examines the growing workload for probation and parole officers and explores the use of evidence-based practices, workload measures, and organizational development for the purpose of increasing management efficiency. (May 2007, 70 pages)
Toward Evidence-Based Practice for Probationers and Parolees Mandated to Mental Health Treatment, Jennifer L. Skeem, Ph.D. and Jennifer Eno Louden, M.A. - According to the authors, many individuals with serious mental illness are on probation or parole. These individuals are twice as likely as those without mental illness to fail on supervision - that is, to have their community term revoked for a technical violation or a new offense. This article reviews a small but growing body of research on this problem and on practices designed to respond to it. (March 2006, 10 pages)
Evidence-Based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works and What Does Not, Washington State Institute for Public Policy - Do you know what programs work to lower the criminal recidivism rates of adult offenders? Read this study for a comprehensive review of evidence-based programs, and learn which corrections programs have demonstrated the ability to reduce crime. (January 2006, 20 pages)
From Prison Safety to Public Safety: Innovations in Offender Reentry, College Park Bureau of Governmental Research at the University of Maryland - This paper examines (1) Reentry Partnership Initiatives, which include the formation of a partnership between criminal justice, social service, and community groups to develop and implement a reentry process; (2) Reentry Courts, which are modified drug courts that focused on the former inmate; and (3) Weed and Seed-based reentry partnerships. (March 2002, 35 pages)
Improving Service Delivery: The Role of Screening and Assessment in the Criminal Justice Treatment Process, Kevin Knight, Ph.D. - This PowerPoint presentation provides research on treatment programs and how they work. The research provided proves effective treatment programs lower recidivism rates. Check out this presentation to view all data and statistics.