Juvenile Probation and Information Technology - Essay Example

The jurisprudence today looks at these youngsters as victims of society rather than as perpetrators of a crime. Many improvements and reforms are being implemented in the juvenile justice system and one of these is the increasing use of probation to help wayward youngsters avoid jail time. In this regard, a highly recommended approach is the use of information technology to improve the probation administration system by giving probation officers access to vital data in a flash.

High-Performance Teams – one of the best game-changers in the administration of a juvenile probation system is the use of new information technology (IT). The use of IT is a positive influence on those who need to monitor several hundreds or even thousands of youngsters on probation. With an IT system in place, probation officers can obtain the needed information to make their jobs easier. Information technology has long been recognized as the enabler that has a big positive impact on social work practice. The information contained in a database will allow probation officers to make better decisions about using a correct intervention modality about a particular juvenile “probationer” because they have at hand information about that youngster. For example, information technology makes probation officers a lot better at monitoring the juvenile population by differentiating between juvenile criminals who are hard-core and repeat offenders who have extensive criminal records versus or against those who are “first-time offenders” whose profiles are characterized by their less serious crimes, better schooling or adequate family resources (Cnaan & Parsloe, 1989, p. 73). IT can positively remedy a situation before there is a deterioration because it is proactive.

As Learning Organizations – the use of IT further enables the entire justice system to have a better overall view of what is happening to all the juvenile delinquents who are under probation. The judge can make a better decision the next time around when contemplating what type of probationary sentence will work best, given the profile of the youthful offender and the other circumstances to be considered when handing out a sentence. The parole officer likewise will be able to monitor more accurately all the juvenile probationers under his care by the use of information technology which allows him to handle a large amount of data. The entire justice system and all the organizations tasked to implement the probationary sentences of youthful offenders are better served because based on the information and data collected, they now have a better idea of what interventions work best and which ones do not work. It is a big help to everyone involved in the administration of juvenile justice in social diagnosis.

It helps in the management functions of POLC which means planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Anyone working in a probation or parole agency has a better handle on things because crucial information is easily available to make better, informed decisions. It helps improve the design of probationary and parole programs, especially regarding its two primary objectives of rehabilitation and the control of juvenile delinquents already convicted (Roberts & Springer, 2007, p. 314). If the states choose, some of them are even privatizing the supervision of probation by contracting it out to private organizations with greater efficiency through the use of IT. This approach had been tried successfully with low-risk offenders being supervised by private charities. It gave cash-strapped states the needed accountability and economy at a time when funds are short. Many probation functions are increasingly given to non-profits (Cole & Smith, 2006, p. 473). Read More