Waiting to be Supervised: Observations from a Rural Probation Lobby

• In Event: Evaluation of Probation Outcomes and Effectiveness

Abstract

In the United States, the origins of probation as a sentencing option began with rehabilitative purposes (Lucken, 2023), however, in recent decades, probation has become increasingly punitive with vast reach (Phelps, 2017). A host of literature denotes some aspects of the more punitive aspects of probation including numerous, and at times onerous, conditions (Roth & Boldin, 2021). To adhere to many of these conditions, individuals on probation supervision are required to meet their officer in the probation office. These meetings typically occur during daytime work hours and may interrupt employment and/or cause undue burden to probationers with excessive wait times and/or travel distances to attend office-based meetings. This study examines if/how waiting for supervision within probation offices may constitute another form of punitive sanction for individuals on community-level supervision. The data comes from ethnographic observation of a probation office waiting room in a rural Texas county. Findings suggest several potentially rehabilitative and several more punitive aspects of waiting for supervision. The paper concludes with several practical recommendations and theoretical implications of this work.

Authors

• Kennedy Suzette Ratcliff, Sam Houston State University

• Danielle Rudes, Sam Houston State University