Answer to Question 1
There are approximately 2,000 adult probation agencies in the United States. More than half are associated with a state-level agency, and in about one-fourth of the states, probation is a local responsibility. In locally operated probation departments, the state is still required to provide financial support, setting standards, and training courses. An argument for locally operated probation departments is that citizens and agencies of the community more readily support programs that are open to their participation and are responsive to local needs and problems. Small operations are also more flexible, adjust more quickly to change, and are less encumbered by bureaucratic rigidity. There are three arguments against a local probation agency. A state-administered probation system can set standards of service that will ensure uniformity of procedures, policies, and services. A larger agency can make more effective use of funds and personnel. Greater efficiency in the disposition of resources is also possible when all probation officers are state employees.
Answer to Question 2
The movement in probation and parole toward a risk management system is known as the new penology.. The focus is on goals aimed at regulating groups of offenders. The language of new penology is anchored in the discourse of system analysis and operations research. Crime is seen as a systemic phenomenon, and crime policy is seen as a problem of actuarial risk management. New penology embraces the policy of risk management and the management of the system itself. Administrative techniques of new penology are adapted from the world of insurance, financial management, and even retailing. These are techniques that improve administrative knowledge of control over penal agents and subjects.