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Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
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Discretionary Decision Making by Probation and Parole Officers

The Role of Extralegal Variables as Predictors of Responses to Technical Violations

John J. Kerbs

East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, kerbsj{at}ecu.edu

Mark Jones

East Carolina University, Greenville, NC

Jennifer M. Jolley

Washington University, St. Louis, MO

This study examines the predictors of discretionary decisions made by probation and parole officers (PPOs) when they face clients who commit technical rule violations during community supervision. Although prior studies of discretionary decisions in criminal justice systems typically focus on legal predictors of discretion (i.e., offense- and offender-based variables), this study examines extralegal predictors to include PPOs’ sociodemographical, occupational, and organizational characteristics. The study uses data collected from a national self-report survey of 332 PPOs who worked with adults and who were members of the American Probation and Parole Association in 2005. Logistic regression analyses examine extralegal predictors of PPO support for formal hearings (i.e., judicial or parole board hearings) in response to technical rule violations. Analyses identify significant occupational and organizational factors that predicted discretionary decisions. Policy implications and directions for future research are examined.

Key Words: probation • parole • violations • decision making • discretion

This version was published on November 1, 2009

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, Vol. 25, No. 4, 424-441 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1043986209344556
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