An Examination of Management Strategies and Attitudes Among Probation Officers

The authors examined management strategy profiles in probation officers (POs; N = 57; African American = 96%; male = 53%) using Probation Practices Assessment Survey scores. Results of a cluster analysis yielded three profiles: compliance, therapeutic, and intensive. POs with a compliance profile were characterized by high frequency of deterrence and confrontation strategies and less frequent use of behavioral, counseling, and restorative strategies when compared to colleagues. Therapeutic POs reported to use deterrence and confrontation strategies infrequently. At the same time, therapeutic POs reported to use behavioral and counseling tactics, and to a lesser degree restorative approaches, on a slightly above average basis. The intensive profile was marked by the frequent use of all different types of probation approaches. Results also showed that management profiles were indicative of attitudes toward punitiveness, mental health rehabilitation, and response to probation in juveniles.