How probation practices vary across rural, suburban, and urban contexts

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research on criminal justice in rural areas is historically infrequent in the United States, and even though it has become more frequent recently, there has been even less work focused on rural juvenile justice. The purpose of this article is to compare juvenile probation practices in rural counties to those in suburban and/or urban counties. Overall, the implementation of programmes and policies is primarily based on the needs of larger counties. This article presents findings from 16 in-depth interviews with juvenile probation officers throughout Pennsylvania. Various struggles were identified by probation officers in smaller counties, such as travel time to facilities and limited resources. In contrast, many probation officers in larger counties discussed the additional resources they have been able to offer to juveniles. These findings have implications for theory, juvenile probation officer practices, programmes and policies in rural communities, and highlight the need for future research in this area.