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Getting to the Heart of the Matter: How Probation Officers Make Decisions

Author: 
Volume 78 Number 3
Date: 
December 2014
Abstract: 

Using in-depth interviews with probation officers in a Mountain West judicial district, the author examines the way probation officers make case decisions about their clients, concluding that while officeres are trained to use actuarial tools, they seem to be putting them aside in favor of a more clinical approach to their work. The author presents implications and office recommendations for future training and policy decisions.