In this thesis, I examine the implementation of community corrections in China with a focus on the factors preventing it from functioning effectively, as well as the possible way forward for the system. I introduce the history and legal framework of community corrections in China and the problems with its implementation. Rather than simply identifying the problems at a superficial level, I have analysed the relevant political context and its influence on the application of community corrections in China in order to identify the sources of problems and suggest potential methods to remedy these problems so as to improve implementation. / Graduate

Supervision of offenders in the community remains a critical component of the correctional processes in the United States. With almost six million offenders under correctional supervision in the community, there has been relatively little attention and few resources devoted to the style and quality of supervision received by these offenders. As a result of the lack of research regarding the style of probation and parole supervision, there is a need to identify and quantify styles of casework and surveillance supervision. This article describes a research project that identifies the key functions of parole and probation officers, reports self- and peer-rating on a casework to surveillance continuum, and establishes an instrument that can be used to create baseline information regarding how probation and parole officers spend their time, and whether the functions officers perform are casework, surveillance, or a balance of the two.

This dissertation examines recidivism for domestic violence offenders under both traditional probation and specialized probation conditions. This research compares recidivism at a traditional probation locality (Riverside Criminal Justice Services) and a specialized domestic violence unit (Chesterfield Community Corrections Services) in order to determine the nature of recidivism at both localities. In addition, the research aims to identify individual risk factors which are statistically associated with recidivism. The research is based on secondary data and draws on offender criminal records generated by the Virginia State Police, as well the extraction of information from probation files at both localities. The multivariate models indicate that a higher degree of recidivism occurs at the specialized domestic violence unit, and that the experimental locality, along with a younger age, are consistently statistically significant predictors for recidivism. Less consistent but still statistically significant risk factors included positive drug tests, higher supervision levels, and unsuccessful probation completion. The implications of these findings, as well as policy recommendations and directions for future research are fully discussed.

abstract: As scholars continue to generate research on social support, so has the realization that our understanding of this theoretical concept is not so clear. Originally introduced by Francis Cullen in 1994, social support has traditionally been examined as a single measure. Cullen, however, posits that there are numerous forms of social support that can be provided by different actors. Little research has sought to examine these different forms of social support and their relationship with recidivating. Further, the extant literature generally places social support in the positive light, hypothesized to have an inverse relationship with crime. Studies have shown, however, that not all social support provides an inverse relationship with recidivism, and instead, some forms of support may actually increase an individual’s likelihood of recidivating. Using data from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative, this dissertation examines both positive and negative emotional family support and the effects they have on the likelihood that formerly incarcerated individuals will recidivate. Utilizing discrete time hazard modeling, and controlling for instrumental family and instrumental peer support, results reveal that while positive emotional family support does indeed have an inverse relationship with recidivating, negative emotional family support has a more salient and direct relationship with recidivating. Additionally, other findings are explored, along with implications for criminological theory, correctional programming, and criminal justice policy. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Criminology and Criminal Justice 2019

With an influx of women entering the incarcerated population comes an increase in the number of children who have a mother serving time. As these mothers are released from prison or jail they immediately enter into the parole or probation system. This research focuses on the experiences of these women within state supervision, but also on what it means to be a mother. Through thematic analysis of 8 in-depth interviews with women who are currently on or were recently released from probation or parole, this study explores how women manage the combined identity of "mother under state supervision." There are many instances of direct conflict that result from the combined identity of "mother under state supervision." In order to deal with this conflict and manage their combined identity, the women use a multitude of tools. This analysis focuses on three of those tools: social support, managing openness, and redefining ways to be good moms. What has emerged from this analysis is the complex nature of navigating the combined identity of "mother under state supervision" and the tools that this particular group of women have used to do so.

Magister Legum - LLM / In recent years the issue of medical parole has become a controversial issue in South Africa. Prior to 2012, at which juncture the law governing the release of inmates on grounds of terminal illness was amended, there were cases where the public deemed the law inadequate and susceptible to political interference.1 There can therefore be little doubt that an amendment to the law was opportune to ensure that the release of inmates was based on legitimate medical reasons.

The nonuse of community correction in the Nigeria criminal justice system has led to increased recidivism, contributed to prison congestion, introduced the risk of prison victimization, and lacked the provision of a rehabilitative structure for nonviolent offenders. The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to explore Nigerian judges' use of alternatives to incarcerations for nonviolent offenders. Dolinko retributive punishment theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. Ten participant judges comprised the study sample from a purposeful and criterion random sampling method. Data were collected from participants through structured interviews and were coded manually, sorted, and analyzed using the Saldana data coding process framework. According to study findings, judges were inclined to use alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders. Also, community correction could reduce overcrowding in prisons and provide the opportunity for self-improvement for nonviolent offenders supervised in the community. The implications for positive social change include a better understanding and implementation of community corrections for Nigeria judiciary and policymakers and the use of alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders, which would improve rehabilitation, reformation, and reintegration of offenders into society.

No description available.

Since it was first articulated, the Risk-Need-Responsivity model (RNR; Andrews, Bonta, & Hoge, 1990) has been extensively researched and is regarded as an empirically supported model for providing effective correctional treatment. It is comprised of three core principles: the risk principle, which provides direction for who should receive treatment; the need principle, which identifies intermediate treatment targets; and the responsivity principle, which states how treatment programs should be structured. The RNR model is purported to be relevant for all offender populations, including female offenders (Dowden & Andrews, 1999a), juvenile offenders (Dowden & Andrews, 1999b), violent offenders (Dowden & Andrews, 2000), and sexual offenders (Hanson, Bourgon, Helmus, & Hogdson, 2009). Yet, the majority of RNR research has examined the risk and need principles, and the responsivity principle remains understudied. The responsivity principle includes two sub-principles: general and specific (Andrews, & Bonta, 2010). The current research explored the general responsivity principle, which states that programs should use theoretically relevant models for individual change, specifically cognitive-behavioral and cognitive-social learning models (Andrews & Bonta, 2010). The following techniques are consistent with these models: "role-playing, modeling, repeated practice of alternative behaviors, cognitive restructuring to modify thoughts/emotions, skills building, or reinforcement" (Andrews & Bonta, 2010, p. 50). Despite empirical support, the RNR model has received minimal application to juveniles, and it has not been widely tested in the substance abuse treatment context. Additionally, it is not clear whether adherence to the RNR model is relevant for reducing substance use outcomes in youth. Adolescent substance abuse treatment programs were designed to address substance use among juveniles, and have been widely researched to determine their effectiveness; yet their effectiveness remains understudied among juvenile offenders. These studies include examinations of specific treatment interventions used, such as Multisystemic Therapy. Many of these interventions are considered to be "evidence-based treatment" (EBT), but there is a wide variety of repositories that classify interventions as "evidence-based" with varying criteria used to classify them. The juvenile drug treatment court model (JDTC) was specifically developed to address substance use and crime among juvenile offenders; however, findings from empirical studies have not demonstrated a strong treatment effect. To address these gaps in the literature, secondary analyses were conducted on data collected from 132 adolescent outpatient substance abuse treatment programs (AOPs) and 10 juvenile drug treatment courts nationwide. This research was an application of the general responsivity principle in the AOP and JDTC context to determine the impact of responsivity adherence on the odds of rearrest and substance use severity. The analyses also included an examination of evidence-based treatment (EBT) in both samples to determine the influence of EBT use scores on the odds of rearrests and substance use severity scores. To examine the AOP sample, multilevel models were used to examine the individual- and program-level impact of responsivity adherence and EBT use. To examine the JDTC sample, multivariate analyses were used to examine the individual-level impact of responsivity adherence and EBT use. Overall, responsivity adherence was not significantly associated with rearrests among AOP participants, nor was it significantly associated with substance use severity scores. Additionally, the odds of rearrest were significantly greater among individuals who received interventions with a higher EBT use score; though, there was no association between the average EBT use scores across programs and the odds of rearrest. There was no significant association between individual- and program-level EBT use scores and substance use severity. Among JDTC participants, an increase in responsivity adherence was associated with an increase in the odds of rearrest and substance use severity. A similar association emerged between EBT use scores and both outcomes, wherein increases in EBT use scores were significantly associated with an increase in the odds of rearrest and substance use severity. The results of the analyses suggest the need for further specification of both general responsivity adherence and "evidence-based" treatment for use in future research and theory; specifically, further elaboration of the general responsivity-adherent techniques and clear criteria for classifying interventions as "evidence-based treatment." The findings also imply that certain types of treatment interventions are more compatible with the JDTC model than other interventions. Additional analyses suggest the possibility that general responsivity adherence and evidence-based treatment may not be unique constructs. Future research may benefit through exploring evidence-based treatment as a criterion for adherence to the general responsivity principle. / Criminal Justice

Satisfied employees are essential to an organization, as they are the primary means for meeting organizational needs. Employees who are more satisfied at work are less likely to leave their job or think about leaving their job, less likely to feel burnt out or stressed, and perform better at work. Job satisfaction is particularly important among criminal justice agencies, specifically probation agencies which largely rely on personnel for the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders. Yet the correlates of job satisfaction among juvenile probation staff are largely unknown. Theory suggests that organizational characteristics are influential predictors of job satisfaction across occupational domains. This current body of research is limited due to its predominant focus on institutional corrections, a deficiency in assessing a diverse variety of climate domains and their influence on job satisfaction, and a lack of standard factor analytic techniques. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to address these gaps within the current body of research and examine the correlates of job satisfaction among juvenile probation staff. First, the psychometrics properties of six perceived organizational climate domains (i.e., innovation and flexibility, communication, agency quality, supervisory support, job–related stress, and organizational support) and job satisfaction are evaluated. Second, salient personal and organizational characteristics which influence job satisfaction are identified. Specifically, the model evaluates both direct and indirect effects of perceived organizational climate characteristics on job satisfaction, as mediated through perceptions of job-related stress. Third, the study assesses whether job satisfaction varies across agencies. Towards this goal, the study uses baseline data from the Juvenile Justice – Translational Research on Adolescents in the Legal System (JJ-TRIALS) initiative, a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded research project conducted in seven states with 36 participating juvenile probation agencies. Data are especially useful in the identification of job satisfaction correlates because they provide information on personal and organizational factors for a large sample of juvenile probation staff. This study used a number of analytic techniques including bivariate analyses, factor analysis, structural equation modeling, path analysis, and multivariate analyses. Findings from the current study expand our understanding of the influence of personal and organizational factors on job satisfaction to an understudied population. Overall, juvenile probation staff reported moderate levels of job satisfaction. Furthermore, results highlight the importance of work-place factors and suggest efforts towards increasing job satisfaction and staff retention should focus on the improvement of organizational characteristics.