ABSTRACT
Probationary services are somewhat invisible in the US criminal correctional system. Despite the collective size and importance of such services, polls consistently reveal that the public has limited factual knowledge about the probation process. In the United States, probation is a leading dis- positional alternative to incarceration. In 1999, there were as many adults on probation as there were in the entire cor-rectional system-on probation or parole, in jail or prison-in 1989. Offenders fortunate to avoid incarceration by receiving a probationary sentence will likely face a number of conditions to be in effect throughout the months or years of probation. In addition to maintaining periodic contact with a probation officer, probationers commonly must agree to restrict certain behaviors. Essentially all probationers are ordered to remain within a given jurisdiction, and many are restricted from frequenting trouble spots such as taverns.
