Criminology chapter 12 Key words

Probation

A sentence entailing the conditional release of a convicted offender into the community under the supervision of the court (in the form of a probation officer), subject to certain conditions for a specified time.

Community Sentencing

court-ordered punishment that allows offenders to serve their sentences within the community instead of incarceration, focusing on rehablilitation and reducing reoffending

judicial reprieve

The common-law practice that allowed judges to suspend punishment so that convicted offenders could seek a pardon, gather new evidence, or demonstrate that they had reformed their behavior.

recognizance

The medieval practice of allowing convicted offenders to go unpunished if they agreed to refrain from any further criminal behavior.

probation rules

Conditions or restrictions mandated by the court that must be obeyed by a probationer.

Revocation

An administrative act performed by a parole authority that removes a person from parole, or a judicial order by a court removing a person from parole or probation, in response to a violation on the part of the parolee or probationer.

intake

The process in which a probation officer settles cases at the initial appearance before the onset of formal criminal proceedings.

presentence investigation

An investigation performed by a probation officer attached to a trial court after the conviction of a defendant.

risk classification

An assessment of the risk level probationers pose to the community and themselves.

Revocation rights 

formal withdrawal or cancellation of a legal agreement, right, or privilege

intermediate sanctions

The group of punishments falling between probation and prison (“probation plus”). Community-based sanctions, including house arrest and intensive supervision, serve as alternatives to incarceration.

fines

Levying a money payment on offenders to compensate society for their misdeeds.

day fines

A fine geared to the average daily income of the convicted offender in an effort to bring equity to the sentencing process.

Forfeiture

The seizure of personal property by the state as a civil or criminal penalty.

restitution

A condition of probation in which the offender repays society or the victim of crime for the trouble the offender caused.

monetary restitution

A sanction requiring that convicted offenders compensate crime victims by reimbursing them for out-of-pocket losses caused by the crime. Losses can include property damage, lost wages, and medical costs.

community service restitution

An alternative sanction that requires an offender to work in the community at such tasks as cleaning public parks or working with disabled children in lieu of an incarceration sentence.

split sentencing

A practice that requires convicted criminals to spend a portion of their sentence behind bars and the remainder in the community.

shock probation

A sentence in which offenders serve a short prison term before they begin probation, to impress them with the pains of imprisonment.

Intensive probation supervision (IPS)

A type of intermediate sanction involving small probation caseloads and strict monitoring on a daily or weekly basis.

Decarceration

the action or process of reducing the number of people imprisoned, especially as part of an initiative to reduce the prison population by releasing or not imprisoning some categories of offenders

reintegration

the action or process of integrating someone back into society

electronic monitoring (EM)

Requiring convicted offenders to wear a monitoring device as part of their community sentence. Typically part of a house arrest order, this enables the probation department to ensure that offenders are complying with court-ordered limitations on their freedom.

residential community corrections (RCC)

A nonsecure facility, located in the community, that houses probationers who need a more secure environment. Typically, residents are free during the day to go to work, school, or treatment, and return in the evening for counseling sessions and meals.

restorative justice

A view of criminal justice that focuses on crime as an act against the community rather than the state. Justice should involve all parties affected by crime—victims, criminals, law enforcement, and the community.

sentencing circle

A type of sentencing in which victims, family members, community members, and the offender participate in an effort to devise fair and reasonable sanctions that are ultimately aimed at reintegrating the offender into the community.

day reporting centers (DRCs)

A nonresidential community-based treatment programs.