ABSTRACT
Probation originated in the United States and allowed convicted offenders to have their sentence delayed and possibly reduced if they could prove themselves to have been rehabilitated while under the supervision of a local voluntary worker. Probation spread to the United Kingdom and Europe in the twentieth century. Probation was originally welfare orientated in the United Kingdom until 1993, when the emphasis changed to probation becoming more of a punishment. Since that time, supervision arrangements have been emphasized rather than rehabilitation, and public protection has been paramount.
