Neighborhood Probation

Many jurisdictions have begun to embrace a particularly new and innovative alternative sentencing program of supervising offenders in collaboration with other key agencies, resources, and organizations within the immediate community where the probationer resides. Commonly known as neighborhood probation (although also referred to as community probation, community supervision, community justice, or neighborhood-based supervision), this method places strong emphasis on public safety, accessibility, and accountability by establishing relationships with local police departments, charitable organizations, faith-based groups, probationer-friendly employers, human services and treatment providers, and other community groups.

These partnerships serve to develop a visible presence for probation agencies whereby officers can take an active role in community development and service delivery and collaborate with key players in the supervision of community service orders and in developing solutions to local problems. The aim is to improve the efficacy of probation services, enhance the quality of life for both probationers and communities, and contribute to crime reduction. Depending on location and resources, probation agencies will typically assign officers and staff to a neighborhood probation office located in the community they serve, in order to ensure visibility, accessibility, and centralization of services for both probationers and communities. Generally, offenders under neighborhood probation are those who are considered problematic to communities—such as gang members, substance abusers, and other chronic and nuisance offenders—who therefore require a combination of services, treatment, and monitoring in order to be managed effectively while completing their probation orders.

One of the first examples of neighborhood supervision may have originated from Madison, Wisconsin, where, between 1989 and 1991, there was a threefold increase in police calls for service in Broadway-Simpson, an area of more than 900 apartments with 500 children and a large number of offenders who were known to reside there, thus leading to a high number of probation violations. The problem continued despite greater policing efforts, until an experienced African American probation officer, Cheryl Knox, volunteered to take responsibility for establishing an office in the neighborhood center, where she began working both with police, to identify offenders, and with other agencies, to coordinate services in conjunction with probation supervisions. For example, she accompanied various staff members (such as healthcare, human services, and housing workers) on home visits to probationers. Over time, this helped to develop strong working relationships with key agencies and other contacts in the community, creating opportunities to educate the community about neighborhood probation strategies and providing a more positive experience for probationers.

In 1991, Project Safeway was established in Chicago, Illinois, in a neighborhood facility within an area that had a high offender population in close proximity to the center and a number of community [Page 258]resources. The main goals were to strengthen relationships with probationers and the community, provide full probative services, and initiate long-term and lasting change to the lives of probationers through a variety of individual, family, and neighborhood interventions. To do this, the project formed an advisory board consisting of community representatives who could help identify the needs of the community and offenders; address project concerns, implementation, and delivery; find volunteers; coordinate services; and plan activities for networking. Once implemented, Project Safeway provided a number of offender programs, including probation orientation, classes leading to the general equivalency diploma (GED), substance abuse evaluations, community service opportunities, job training and placement, parenting skills, and health education—all of which made use of local community resources.

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