Probation Department Research Articles

Probation clients\u2019 barriers to access and use of opioid use disorder medications

BackgroundThere is a gap between evidence-based treatment with medications for opioid use disorders (OUDs) and current practices of probation departments who supervise individuals with OUDs. Many probationers with OUDs cannot access FDA-approved medications to treat their disorders despite the strong evidence of their effectiveness. The barriers to medications for those under probation supervision include practitioners’ negative attitudes toward medications, costs, stigma, and diversion risk. Probation officers have an ethical obligation to help their clients reduce barriers to access the care they need which in turn can improve their outcomes and increase public safety.ResultsThe current study explores how probation departments respond to probationers with OUDs, focusing on the barriers to accessing OUD medications based on a survey of probation department directors/administrators (hereafter referred to as probation department leaders) in Illinois (N = 26). A majority of probation department leaders reported perceived staff barriers to their clients accessing medications. Reasons included lack of medical personnel experience, cost, need for guidance on medications, and regulations set by their organization or jurisdiction that prohibit client use of medications. Probation department leaders reported knowing less about the use of methadone and how it is administered, compared to buprenorphine and naltrexone. In addition, probation department leaders were generally more open to referring clients for treatment that include buprenorphine or naltrexone compared to methadone. Despite slightly less training or familiarity with methadone than the other medications, the number of probation department leaders who knew where to refer someone for each of the three FDA-approved medications was similar.ConclusionsThe current study found probation department leaders perceive some barriers to their staff linking or referring their clients to OUD medications. Study findings indicate a need for administration- and staff-level training, interagency collaboration, and policy changes to increase access to, education on, and use of, medications for probation clients. Such efforts will ultimately help probation clients with OUDs stabilize and adhere to other probation requirements and engage in behavioral therapy, which may result in positive outcomes such as reduced recidivism, increased quality of life, and reduced mortality.

Text Messaging to Enhance Behavioral Health Treatment Engagement Among Justice-Involved Youth: Qualitative and User Testing Study.

BackgroundMental health and substance use disorders are highly prevalent in justice-involved youth, yet only 8% of court-involved, nonincarcerated (CINI) youth in need of treatment receive it. Dual diagnosis (co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders) in justice-involved youth is highly predictive of recidivism. Identifying novel approaches, such as the use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies, to close this gap between need and receipt of behavioral health treatment for the CINI population could potentially offset rates of reoffending into adulthood. Text-messaging (short message service, SMS) interventions have demonstrated efficacy in improving treatment adherence and other associated outcomes in other vulnerable youth populations, but development and testing of mHealth interventions to improve behavioral health treatment rates and outcomes for CINI youth are lacking.ObjectiveThis study aimed to collect qualitative data from key stakeholders to inform the development of a theoretically grounded, family-based text-messaging (SMS) intervention targeting CINI youth’s behavioral health treatment engagement; additionally, the aim was to conduct end-user testing over 6 months with CINI youth and caregivers to determine intervention feasibility and acceptability.MethodsCINI youth and caregivers were referred from a California-based Juvenile Probation Department and community-based provider organizations providing services for justice-involved youth. Eligibility criteria included the following: being a justice-involved youth or a caregiver of a justice-involved youth, English speaking, youth aged 13 to 17 years old and either referred to or currently attending mental health or substance use treatment, and youth and caregiver have access to a cell phone with text-messaging capability.ResultsOverall, 28 individuals participated in focus groups and interviews—8 youth, 5 caregivers, and 15 juvenile justice (JJ) personnel. Three major themes emerged: (1) texting among JJ personnel and CINI youth and caregivers in their caseload is common but not systematic, (2) stigma and privacy are perceived as barriers to texting youth about behavioral health treatment appointments, and (3) messages should be short, simple, relatable, positive, and personalized. In total, 9 participants (7 youth and 2 caregivers) participated in end-user testing and rated the intervention as useful, helpful, and supportive.ConclusionsText messaging (SMS) is an acceptable and feasible means of reminding CINI youth to attend behavioral health treatment appointments. Future implementation challenges include making text messaging (SMS) personalized and tailored but not resource intensive (eg, requiring one-to-one, 24/7 human contact) and identifying which systems will deliver and sustain the intervention. Text messaging (SMS) among justice personnel, youth, and their caregivers is already widespread, but lack of clear guidelines about privacy, confidentiality, and information sharing poses ethical conundrums. Future hybrid-type research designs that explore the efficacy of the intervention while also studying ethical, system, and policy-level factors associated with using digital health interventions to improve CINI youth outcomes is a key next step.

Exploring probation officer styles and goals with individual, organizational, and social characteristics

Probation offices are organizational units that provide the structure necessary to develop shared meaning systems that influence individual level attitudes, values, and beliefs. We analyze survey responses (n = 252) from county-level probation departments (n = 19) in a single state. The dependent variables are three-factor scales combining items to measure enforcement, reentry, and protection scales. Our central goal is to determine if the authoritarian (i.e. law enforcement) and assistance (i.e. social worker) typologies predict supervision goals. The robust regression analyses show that department (e.g. caseload size, number of officers) and county-level measures of poverty and percent black in the population are significant factors for enforcement and reentry. The article concludes with policy implications.

Pickpockets, Pilot Boys, and Prostitutes: The Construction of Juvenile Delinquency in the Gold Coast [Colonial Ghana], c. 1929–57

Abstract In twentieth-century Gold Coast, youth offending became a metonymy for wider concerns about the impact of urbanization and colonial modernity. Urbanization, migration, unemployment, poverty, the disintegration of family and “tribal” structures, and Western culture were all blamed for the emergence of delinquency. This article analyzes changing constructions and treatment of delinquency from c.1929 to 1957, drawing on contemporary sociological research, popular culture, and metropolitan debates, as well as archival material from prisons, welfare, and probation departments in Accra. Whereas in other parts of West Africa, fears about delinquency focused on gangs and violence, the main categories of delinquency in the Gold Coast were theft, “immoral” offenses, intelligent offenders and proto-criminals, and “care and protection” cases. Rehabilitation was marked by a constant tension among punishment, reform, and the construction of economically productive colonial citizens. Juvenile delinquency formed a significant and symbolic part of the disciplinary techniques, discourses, and institutions of the late colonial state.

Matching Services to Criminogenic Needs Following Comprehensive Risk Assessment Implementation in Juvenile Probation

One emphasis of juvenile justice reform has been implementation of risk assessment instruments to improve case planning. This study examined the ability of juvenile probation departments to apply the risk-needs-responsivity (RNR) framework into case planning following a comprehensive implementation protocol. Data were collected on 385 adolescent offenders across three probation departments following implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk for Youth (SAVRY) and an RNR-related case planning policy. As expected, as risk levels of youth increased, probation departments assigned more services and addressed more criminogenic need areas in their case plans. Most case plans (86%) adhered to the policy to limit the number of needs addressed at one time. The quality of service-to-need matching varied by criminogenic need area, risk level, and site. Implications to juvenile courts’ and probation officers’ case planning and the challenges of research on service-to-need matching are discussed.

PRECONDITIONS FOR ENHANCING SOCIO-EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS SERVING NON-CUSTODIAL SENTENCES

The paper focuses on the issue of socio-educational assistance to people prone to criminal behavior, unrelated to the use of psychoactive substances, and serving non-custodial sentences in the Probation Department of Klaipėda Regional Probation Service. It comments on the results of the behavioural correction programme Behaviour-Conversation-Change (BCC) applied to the individuals serving non-custodial sentences. The research was based on the quantitative research strategy. The participants of the research were individuals prone to criminal behavior, unrelated to the use of psychoactive substances, and serving non-custodial sentences in the Probation Department of Klaipėda Regional Probation Service. In the period from 2012 to 2017, 233 respondents took part in the research. The changes in the respondents' motivation were recorded by means of the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA) 32-item measure, designed to evaluate four key components: precontemplation, contemplation, action, and maintenance (McConnaughy, Prochaska, Velicer, 1983). The changes were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the programme. As proved by the findings, the impact of the Behaviour-Conversation-Change programme was positive at the precontemplation and the action stages. The results achieved in the application of the Behaviour-Conversation-Change programme meaningfully differed, given the officers' approach to the programme.

Sex Offender Supervision: Communication, Training, and Mutual Respect Are Necessary for Effective Collaboration Between Probation Officers and Therapists.

Developed with the goal of preventing recidivism, contemporary sex offender supervision models focus on collaboration between probation officers and therapists. This exploratory study used focus groups to examine the working relationships between probation officers and therapists from two large U.S. urban probation departments. Overall, both probation officers and therapists were quite positive about their working relationships; they valued each others' roles and agreed that regular, accurate, and timely communication occurred frequently. Not all relationships, however, were effective. Several probation officers and therapists expressed dissatisfaction with poor communication, conflicts between the goals of therapy and probation, a lack of resources, and deficits in the policies they needed to adequately implement components of their supervision model (the containment model). Our findings suggest ways to structure sexual offender supervision that integrate the distinct orientations of probation officers and therapists into a collaboration that promotes public safety and work well for all.

A 21st Century Developmentally Appropriate Juvenile Probation Approach

AbstractPrinciples of adolescent development have accelerated positive changes to the juvenile justice system. These changes have been most pronounced in reducing reliance on incarceration and in approaches to sentencing of youth tried as adults. While juvenile probation has made some developmentally friendly adjustments, it remains an area that is fertile for reform. Many of the principles and goals in this paper have been endorsed by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ), which “supports and is committed to juvenile probation systems that conform to the latest knowledge of adolescent development and adolescent brain science,” and which “recommends that courts cease imposing ‘conditions of probation’ and instead support probation departments’ developing, with families and youth, individualized case plans that set expectations and goals.”NCJFCJ's July, 2017 resolution in support of developmentally appropriate juvenile probation services built on earlier NCJFCJ policies. From the time NCJFCJ adopted Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines in 2005, those policies have grown increasingly robust.

Негативные последствия действия правового механизма избрания и исполнения меры пресечения в виде домашнего ареста

Inclusion of house arrest as a measure of restraint that is less stringent than detention in the system of procedural compulsion measures is a manifestation of humanity of the criminal policy of the Russian state. However, the analysis of the application and execution of house arrest (Article 107 of the RF Code of Criminal Procedure) shows a considerable number of problems. These problems lead to delays in criminal proceedings, which prevents the achievement of the purposes of the application of the preventive measure and entails an unjustified restriction of the constitutional rights of the suspects, the accused and persons living together with them, etc. This situation is a result of the insufficient elaboration of the legal framework of the choice and execution of house arrest as a preventive measure. In particular, the probation department is devoid of the ability to consistently respond to the violation by persons under house arrest of the ban and/or the restrictions imposed by the court that the persons made at the stage of preliminary investigation and trial. The negative consequences of this are red tape in the processing of materials about the suspect's violation of the terms of house arrest, an increase in the number of these violations and failure of the imposed measure. The imperfection of the legal regulation of house arrest execution is evidenced by the fact that the probation department was deprived of the right to appeal the court's decision on refusal to satisfy petitions of the department to change the measure of restraint from house arrest to detention. The negative impact observed is that the suspects, the accused, the defendants under house arrest form the idea of permissibility of violations of the conditions of house arrest, which frequently leads to their subsequent concealment from the bodies of preliminary investigation, judgment, from execution of criminal punishment. A negative consequence of choosing house arrest as a measure of restraint is also manifested in the fact that in frequent cases persons living together with a person under house arrest block the access of the probation department to the technical devices that monitor the behavior of this person. This prevents the enforcement of the legislative regulation under Part 10 of Article 107 of the RF Code of Criminal Procedure. Given the above, elimination of gaps and inconsistency of legal norms in the legal regulation of house arrest as a measure of restraint is required. The author makes relevant proposals.

Cost and cost-effectiveness of computerized vs. in-person motivational interventions in the criminal justice system

IntroductionAlthough substance use is common among probationers in the United States, treatment initiation remains an ongoing problem. Among the explanations for low treatment initiation are that probationers are insufficiently motivated to seek treatment, and that probation staff have insufficient training and resources to use evidence-based strategies such as motivational interviewing. A web-based intervention based on motivational enhancement principles may address some of the challenges of initiating treatment but has not been tested to date in probation settings. The current study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of a computerized intervention, Motivational Assessment Program to Initiate Treatment (MAPIT), relative to face-to-face Motivational Interviewing (MI) and supervision as usual (SAU), delivered at the outset of probation. MethodsThe intervention took place in probation departments in two U.S. cities. The baseline sample comprised 316 participants (MAPIT = 104, MI = 103, and SAU = 109), 90% (n = 285) of whom completed the 6-month follow-up. Costs were estimated from study records and time logs kept by interventionists. The effectiveness outcome was self-reported initiation into any treatment (formal or informal) within 2 and 6 months of the baseline interview. The cost-effectiveness analysis involved assessing dominance and computing incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves. Implementation costs were used in the base case of the cost-effectiveness analysis, which excludes both a hypothetical license fee to recoup development costs and startup costs. An intent-to-treat approach was taken. ResultsMAPIT cost $79.37 per participant, which was ~$55 lower than the MI cost of $134.27 per participant. Appointment reminders comprised a large proportion of the cost of the MAPIT and MI intervention arms. In the base case, relative to SAU, MAPIT cost $6.70 per percentage point increase in the probability of initiating treatment. If a decision-maker is willing to pay $15 or more to improve the probability of initiating treatment by 1%, estimates suggest she can be 70% confident that MAPIT is good value relative to SAU at the 2-month follow-up and 90% confident that MAPIT is good value at the 6-month follow-up. ConclusionsWeb-based MAPIT may be good value compared to in-person delivered alternatives. This conclusion is qualified because the results are not robust to narrowing the outcome to initiating formal treatment only. Further work should explore ways to improve access to efficacious treatment in probation settings.

Treatment Services in the Juvenile Justice System: Examining the Use and Funding of Services by Youth on Probation

Youth enter the juvenile justice system with a variety of service needs, particularly for mental health problems. Research has examined the extent to which youth have mental health disorders, primarily among detained youth, and factors associated with treatment referrals, but little research has examined youth on probation and the actual use of services. Using data obtained from the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department from July 2012 through August 2014 ( N = 3,779), the current study examines (1) the factors associated with receiving treatment services while on probation and (2) the factors associated with receiving treatment services through different funding streams. Findings reveal that only about 25% of the sample of youth on probation received treatment services, suggesting the underservicing of youth. Consistent with prior research, there were also racial and ethnic disparities concerning treatment use, with Blacks and Latinos less likely to receive services. Additionally, certain characteristics of youth and their background influenced the funding source for treatment services. Implications for policy and research are discussed in light of these findings.

An Exploratory Study on Adopting Probation Case Management

본 연구는 사례관리의 구성요소인 사례관리자대상자, 사례관리자, 사회자원, 전달체계를 분석틀로 활용하여 보호관찰 사례관리의 적용 가능성을 모색한 것이다. 본 연구의 주요 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 보호관찰 사례관리 대상자 선정에 있어 복합적인 범죄욕구를 안고 있는 자를 사례관리의 우선대상으로 선정할 것을 제시하였고, 이를 위해 위험욕구평가(risk and needs assessment)가 필수적임을 강조하였다. 이외에도 향후 노인, 장애인 범죄자의 증가에 따른 대비책의 필요를 강조하였다. 둘째, 보호관찰 사례관리 수행 인력과 관련하여 본 연구는 보호관찰소 내 전담직원을 배치할 것을 강조했다. 또한, 보호관찰 사례관리자는 임상과 행정 양면에서 능숙해야하며 보호관찰 사례관리의 핵심 기능 및 주요업무에 따라 다양한 역할을 수행할 수 있는 역량을 갖추어야 함을 제시하였다. 셋째, 사회자원은 보호관찰 사례관리의 성패를 좌우하는 매우 핵심적인 요소로서 지역사회의 공식, 비공식 자원, 그리고 보호관찰대상자에게 특화한 범죄예방위원과 민간기업 등의 사회자원의 적절한 혼합과 연계, 조정의 필요성을 제시하였다. 마지막으로 본 연구는 서비스전달체계로 보호관찰 내 사례관리, 중간기관 설치, 지역사회 위탁의 3가지 방안으로 정리하고 각각의 필요조건을 제시하였다.This study seeks the applicability of case management to probation system. In order to achieve the study objective, four components of case management including case management client, case manager, social resources, and delivery system, were applied as an analytical framework. The main results of this study are as follows. First, it is emphasized that the ‘risk and needs assessment’ is essential to selecting and screening for case management clients. This study proposes that those who have complex criminogenic needs should be first considered as case management clients. In addition, it emphasizes the necessity of preparation in order to cope with the increasing number of criminals with disabilities and elderly offenders. Second, in regard to staffing, this study proposes to place the dedicated staff members who can take full charge of case management within the probation department. Also, it is emphasized that the case managers in the probation field should be proficient in both clinical and administrative aspects. He or she should be skilled and competent in performing various roles according to the core functions and main tasks of the probation case management. Third, a core factor determining the success or failure of probation case management is social resources. This study emphasizes the use of a variety of social resources including formal and informal resources in the community, and specialized resources such as criminal prevention committees. Also, it suggests the referral and coordination of social resources and integrating them in a proper manner. Finally, three types of service delivery systems are suggested –operating case management within the probation department, interim agency which plays a role in connecting the probation department and community, and community consignment. Further, the requirements in implementing such systems are suggested.

OPPORTUNITIES OF SOCIO-EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS SERVING ALTERNATIVE TO IMPRISONMENT SENTENCES: THE PROGRAMME BEHAVIOUR-CONVERSATIONCHANGE APPLICATION ANALYSIS

The paper focuses on the issue of socio-educational assistance to alcohol addicts serving non-custodial sentences in the Probation Department of Klaipėda Regional Probation Service. It comments on the results of the behavioural correction programme Behaviour-Conversation-Change (BCC), applied to the individuals serving non-custodial sentences. The research was based on the qualitative research strategy. The conducting of the research was underpinned by the works of W.R. Miller, S.Rollnick (1991, 2002) and numerous other authors on a motivational interview, as well as on a motivational interview-based programme Behaviour-Conversation-Change to be used by the penal system institutions (Farbring, Berge, 2004). The participants of the research were individuals with alcohol addicts, serving non-custodial sentences in the Probation Department of Klaipėda Regional Probation Service. In the period 2012 to 2017, 160 respondents took part in the research (accordingly, the sample was 151 respondents). The changes in the respondents' behaviour were recorded by means of the SOCRATES 8A 19 question- scale (The Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale), designed to evaluate three key components: problem recognition, ambivalence, and the steps taken (Miller, Tonigan, 1996). The changes were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the Behaviour-Conversation-Change programme. As proved by the findings, the impact of the Behaviour-Conversation-Change programme was positive at the recognition and the step taking stages. The results achieved in the application of the Behaviour-Conversation-Change programme meaningfully differed, given the officers approach to the programme.

What Do Pediatric Residents Gain From an Experience in Juvenile Justice? A Qualitative Analysis of Community-Based Learning

BackgroundTraining in advocacy and community pediatrics often involves the use of community site visits. However, data on the specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained from these experiences are limited. In this study we used qualitative analysis of written narratives to explore the response of residents to a juvenile justice experience. MethodsPediatric residents participated in a week-long experience in the juvenile probation department and completed a written narrative. Narratives were analyzed using grounded theory to explore the effects of this experience on residents' views of youth in the juvenile justice system. ResultsAnalysis of 29 narratives revealed 13 themes relating to 5 core concepts: social determinants of behavior, role of professionals and institutions, achieving future potential, resolving discrepancies, and distancing. A conceptual model was developed to explore the interactions of these concepts in the resident view of youth in the juvenile justice system. Of the themes only 3 (23%) were related to content explicitly covered in the assigned reading materials. ConclusionsSeveral important concepts emerged as elements of this experience, many of which were not covered in the explicit curriculum. Variability in attitudinal response to the experience raised important questions about the influence of the ideological framework of the learner and the hidden curriculum on the learning that occurs in community settings. We propose a theoretical model that delineates the factors that influence learning in community settings to guide educators in planning these types of experiences.

Probation Staff Attitudes Toward Substance Abuse Treatment and Evidence-Based Practices.

Given the substantial need for and relatively low access to effective substance use disorder treatment for people on probation, it is critical to understand organizational and staff attitudes that may hinder or facilitate treatment linkage and willingness to adopt evidence-based practices. This study used survey data from a large county probation department to assess staff members' attitudes and perceptions regarding their organization's climate for innovation, role of substance use disorder treatment, support for evidence-based treatment, and organizational barriers to change. Probation staff were open to incorporating treatment into probation supervision, expressed support for rehabilitation models, and agreed that they would adopt innovations if required or they found them to be appealing. However, they expressed some concerns about the level of agency support for innovation and collaboration. Attitudes and perceptions varied by staff characteristics. Implications for expanding organizational change and adoption of evidence-based treatment practices in probation are discussed.

Perceptions of Motivational Interviewing

The practice of motivational interviewing (MI) has gained acceptance as an effective approach to support behavior change in various therapeutic contexts. In recent years, MI has been extended to clients within less traditional therapeutic settings including prisons and probation departments. Despite the known strengths of MI for positively affecting behavioral change in therapeutic contexts, the extent to which probation officers are able to effectively utilize MI remains unknown. The current study utilizes self-report responses from 485 probationers to assess the internal consistency and factor structure of the Client Evaluation of Motivational Interviewing (CEMI) as a tool for gathering feedback on MI fidelity in probation. Confirmatory factor analysis found two distinct MI factors to exist among this client base—technical and relational aspects of MI. Results suggest the CEMI is an effective tool to determine community corrections clients’ self-perceptions of probation officer’s use of MI-consistent techniques.

An independent replication of the Adolescent-Community Reinforcement Approach with justice-involved youth.

Substance use disorders among youth remain a serious public health problem. Although research has overwhelmingly supported the use of evidenced-based interventions, one of the primary limitations of the current evidence base is that for the vast majority of treatments, the developers of the treatments are also the ones conducting research on them, raising the possibility of allegiance bias. The present study was an independently conducted randomized controlled trial (n = 126) comparing an evidenced-based treatment for adolescent substance use, Adolescent-Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA), and assertive continuing care (ACC), to services as usual (SAU) provided by a juvenile probation department. Latent growth curve modeling was used to compare the treatments on change in substance use assessed by the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months following treatment entry. All youth evidenced a substantial reduction in substance use frequency and substance-related problems following treatment; however, youth treated with A-CRA/ACC evidenced a substantially greater decrease in substance-related problems. Results are consistent with studies conducted by A-CRA/ACC model developers supporting the effectiveness of the clinical approach and, because the outcomes resulted from an independent replication, are encouraging for the transportation potential of A-CRA/ACC.

The Impact of Two Los Angeles County Teen Courts on Youth Recidivism: Comparing Two Informal Probation Programs.

This study sought to examine the impact of two Teen Courts operating in Los Angeles County, a juvenile justice system diversion program in which youth are judged by their peers and given restorative sentences to complete during a period of supervision. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare youth who participated in Teen Court (n=112) to youth who participated in another diversion program administered by the Probation Department (the 654 Contract program) (n=194). Administrative data were abstracted from Probation records for all youth who participated in these programs between January 1, 2012 and June 20, 2014. Logistic and survival models were used to examine differences in recidivism - measured as whether the minor had any subsequent arrest or arrests for which the charge was filed. Comparison group participants had higher rates of recidivism than Teen Court participants, after controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and risk level. While the magnitude of the program effects were fairly consistent across model specifications (odd ratios comparing Teen Court [referent] to school-based 654 Contract ranging from 1.95 to 3.07, hazard ratios ranging from 1.62 to 2.27), differences were not statistically significant in all scenarios. While this study provides modest support for the positive impact of Teen Court, additional research is needed to better understand how juvenile diversion programs can improve youth outcomes.

A merger on probation: Can organization development produce lasting change?

This study reports the 25-year-impact of OD interventions surrounding the merger of a probation department in the public sector. Using a quasi-experimental design, within the framework of Kotter’s ...

Racial Disparity in Probationers’ Views about Probation

The current study examined racial disparity in probationers’ views about probation services using survey data from 1,896 probationers in a large county in north Texas. Two multivariate logistic regression models predicting probationers’ views about the helpfulness of the probation department and optimism that their time on probation would help them stay out of trouble were estimated using racial identification and a number of controls as predictors. Racial identification was a significant predictor in both models even after controlling for probationers’ evaluations of probation administration and their relationships with their probation officers. Black probationers were significantly more likely to be dissatisfied with probation services, whereas Hispanic probationers were significantly more likely to be optimistic that their time on probation would help them stay out of trouble, as compared to White probationers. Results from mean tests did not indicate that probationers of different racial identifications differed significantly in their evaluations of probation administration or their relationships with probation officers. Racial disparity in probationers’ views, therefore, was less likely to be related to perceived differential treatment by the probation department and more likely to be related to other factors. Implications for future research are discussed.