Economic and psychological aspect of legal support of probation

Abstract

The relevance of the study is conditioned upon the necessity of wider implementation of sentences alternative to imprisonment. It is largely connected to the international commitments that Ukraine has made in the process of European integration. The purpose of the study is to determine the economic and psychological conditions for the functioning of the legal institution of probation. The research uses dialectical, comparative legal, systemic, Aristotelian, structural and functional methods. The research defines the concept of probation as a system of supervisory and social and educational measures for convicts who have been sentenced to a non-custodial criminal sentence. The author presents the stages of implementation of the probation institute in Ukraine and explains the essence of probation, its types and functions. The author identifies the socio-psychological advantages of such an institution and substantiates the economic feasibility of probation supervision as compared to other punishments. It is established that the introduction of this institution provides several benefits for the State, society and the offender. The author outlines the benefits for the state in terms of reducing the number of prisoners; reducing the crime rate; compliance with international standards; and economic benefits. The benefits to society are identified, which include the fair administration of justice and the protection of the community from recidivism. In addition, attention is devoted to the benefits for the offender, namely, the opportunity to change without being imprisoned, preservation of human relations, housing and work. It is substantiated that in the current circumstances, the introduction of probation supervision is a necessity conditioned upon economic expediency and the possibility of administering justice more humanely. The results of the research can be used for implementation in the area of regulation, and for writing monographs, scientific researches, dissertations, drafting abstracts, and preparing reports at scientific conferences.