ABSTRACT
Probation was recommended in about a quarter of the cases in the main sample. The aim was to study 100 short-term probation orders. From information available about referral rates and the proportion of cases in which probation was recommended, it seemed likely that a year’s intake, together with some cases taken on just before the starting date, would provide the sample required. The probation officers recommended other types of disposal in 313 cases, and in twelve of these the magistrates decided on a short-term probation order. Twenty-three per cent were specifically recommended for short-term probation and these reports were also compared with the recommendations for probation in the Inner London study. The Differential Treatment Unit team and the researchers carried out a systematic examination of the reasons for not recommending probation in three out of four cases.
