Scarica il documento - Dipartimento per la Giustizia Minorile

Dossier
the following chart demonstrates the various channels through which probation
services are provided:
50
Police
Support System
for the
Juvenile
Justice Process
Public
Prosecutor
Juvenile Court
Institute for
the Arrest of
Minors
Social Services
for Minors
Probation
Services
Juvenile
Correctional
Facilities
Schools
Employment Centres
Information Desks
for Work Placement
Third Sector
Associations
“Street work”
Substance Abuse
Treatment Centres
Current Debate About Probation Services in Germany: The Role of Risk Analysis
the use of risk analysis instruments within juvenile probation is the source
of a heated debate in Germany. this debate centres around the possibility of
changing approaches, moving away from assistance, care and general surveillance
and supervision, to a focus on the personal risk posed by an offender and his/her
individualized plan to ensure that he/she both receives help and is controlled. this
means that the function of control and supervision becomes much more important
in respect to traditional probation in which the function of offering support and
assistance come first.
Hans Gerz is a proponent of this new approach. He views the traditional approach
as lacking in structured support and the intention of reducing recidivism. Gerz sustains
that it is of the case that the defined objectives of probation, in relation to individual
cases, do not match the risk factors evident in the individual’s behaviour. this is based
on his observations of the people placed on probation who request help for things that
really do not relate to their risk of re-offending while refusing interventions that could
stimulate a reduction in their risk for engaging in certain criminal behaviours. a risk analysis
approach to probation focuses on these criminogenic factors. this means that a structured
and methodical risk analysis based on scientific knowledge becomes an instrument to be
used during the entire probation period.