Though parole and probation are community correction strategies that function on the concept of community supervision, they are different in many aspects. Despite these differences, they were initiated to mitigate the magnitude and severity of the punishment process. The evolution of probation started in England and later spread to America as recognizance upon release and bail on condition that the suspect would avail him/herself before the court. However, there are conditions accompanying probation to minimize threats as a result of the revocation. In America, the Supreme Court judges have powers to reverse this sentence when justice is miscarried as was witnessed in 1830 in Boston (Mutchnick, 2009). Between 1841 and1859, several offenders were bailed out by John Augustus after conviction. This trend is similar to modern probation which considers age, character, among other factors directly impacting the course of justice. In 1878, Abidisky was hired as the first probation officer in Boston. This trend spread across the states of America and incorporated juvenile probation laws.
According to Mutchnick (2009), parole was introduced in America in the mid 19th century. Under this arrangement, credit marks are awarded for behavior change and release from detaining heavily relies on the cumulative score per prisoner. Zebulon Brockway is accredited for the success of this program since it decongested prisons. As a form of community correction program, parole is the best form of rehabilitation since the subject participates voluntarily from the confinement of a jail or prison (Mutchnick, 2009). After probation, the suspected offender is passed through the criminal justice system, and if found guilty, may be sentenced to a jail term. Since these detention camps have parole officers, prisoners are registered in parole programs and the best behaved released before full jail term. Generally, these processes are designed to promote positive behavior change initiated by the suspect (Mutchnick, 2009).
References
Keller, G and Mary, A. (2002) Evolving Strategy of Policing: Case Studies of Strategic Change. New York: National Institute of Justice.
Mutchnick, R. (2009) Criminal Justice Interactive: Companion Text. New York: Prentice-Hall.
Schmalleger, F. (2010) Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century. New York: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Walker, S. (1992). Origins of the Contemporary Criminal Justice Paradigm: The American Bar Foundation Survey. Justice Quarterly Journal, 9.1, 1953-1969.