back to top
Goal Ambiguity
It is often argued that rehabilitation and punishment are opposing justice system goals . One goal , rehabilitation , seeks to alter offender cognition ( thought patterns ) to bring about a concomitant shift in behavior ( toward pro-sociality ) ( Andrews et al ., 1990 ). The other goal , punishment , has been described as rooted in a more emotional desire to inflict pain or bring about some sort of discomfort for the offender in an attempt to rebalance the scales of justice ( see Christie , 2000 ; Garland , 1990 ). This tension between rehabilitation , punishment , and providing victim and community safety is further elaborated by respondents in open-ended items . One respondent states ( italics added ) that “ community safety , victim safety , and offender accountability have become focus points … but the resources to accomplish these changes is an ongoing process of adaptation to the demands placed upon supervision .”
This statement captures the interaction between these goals as well as the officer ’ s strain fostered by a context of limited resources and bloated workloads . A different respondent summarized the view in his or her agency as “ We view ourselves as the front line between high-risk offenders and the community we live in .” Another respondent claimed that their department “ has become more punitive , acting as police , rather than rehabilitative .” These responses potentially indicate a sense of moving toward community safety and crime reduction as central organizational goals , and a need to consider more fully the fiscal concerns emerging from steering community corrections ’ function in such a way .
Concerns about Funding back to top
More clarity can be gained from respondents ’ open-ended answers , in which they commented about caseload size and workload allocation methods . One respondent indicated that in his or her agency “ caseloads have doubled … Our ability to meet the needs of these offenders has been difficult with very limited community resources , limited budgets , and a lack of support from the top and the bench .” This respondent ’ s frustration is an example of how community corrections agencies and officers are expected to supervise more offenders , with fewer resources , feeding employee strain and burn-out .
Another respondent simply stated that “ More officers are needed to provide the level of expectations that each offender should receive .” Funding issues are tied to most decisions made by organizations — whether community corrections or for-profit industries — and they determine the possibility of such things as trainings , equipment purchases , and personnel hires . One respondent commented on the relationship between these items and how they come together to shape the ability to offer effective community interventions .
Training is minimal and equipment is sparse . [ STATE NAME ] has adopted a resource brokerage type of supervision . On the occasions when [ officers ] do venture out into the field to check up on probationers , [ officers ] are too poorly equipped and trained to do much more than a quick drive by of residence . Unfortunately , [ STATE NAME ] has disregarded officer safety even after some recent high profile assaults on probation officers who attempted home visits . Thus , furthering the belief that probation supervision is best conducted from the office .
Obviously , this respondent feels strongly about the potential ramifications for underfunding probation training and ensuring that officers have the appropriate equipment . However , this provides little advice on what administrators and policymakers should be doing to change this situation . Another respondent did suggest that “ a resolution would be caseload caps , more equipment , and streamlining several processes .” No doubt such suggestions come easily when merely placed on paper , but are much more difficult to implement . Nevertheless , these respondents ’ comments identify a certain uneasiness regarding the growth in caseloads of more high-risk offenders and the ( fiscal ) impact this has on most organizational operations .