Lean and Mean: Public Protection in Westchester County
| Published date | 01 June 1996 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455059604300207 |
| Date | 01 June 1996 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Lean and Mean:
Public Protection in
Westchester County
Having recently spent four months in the United States, with the
opportunity to visit a number of correctional agencies, primarily the
Westchester County Probation Department, Christine Sheppard, a
probation officer with Norfolk Family Court Welfare Service, reports
a number
of innovations over there which may indicate the shape of
things to come over here.
n
October 1995 the television news in
It was interesting, therefore, to see how
Washington reported that a man had
probation and community service as
breached his probation by failing to lose
alternatives to custody exist in this climate.
weight. When he had originally offended
The first thing to note is that large
the man had stated that his excessive
numbers of people are still sentenced to
weight, about 550 lbs, prevented him from
Probation, Community Service and other
obtaining employment. Therefore weight
restrictive community sentences, which are
loss had been a condition of his probation
often provided by private organisations
order. The man was brought back to court
which may or may not be profit making.
as, rather than losing weight, he had gained
Oversight of these organisations is a
some 20 Ibs and thus breached his order. A
mandated role of the Probation Service and
prison sentence was consequently imposed.
there are obvious similarities with
The offender had felt the full weight of the
Probation’s new ’partnership’ role with
law!
t
voluntary organisations in the UK. The
However, current developments in
court itself very often maintains an
sentencing in the USA are clearly nothing to
involvement with those who are serving a
laugh about. In America, as in Britain, the
sentence in the community outside of the
Government is responding to a perceived
Probation Service. They can require the
public opinion that they should get tough on
offender to appear in court on possibly a
crime. The ’three-strikes’ law which holds
monthly basis,...
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