Obey All Laws and Be Good: Probation and the Meaning of Recidivism

Abstract

Probation is the most commonly imposed criminal sentence in the United States, with nearly four million adults currently under supervision. Yet the law of probation has not been the focus of sustained research or analysis. This Article examines the standard conditions of probation in the sixteen jurisdictions that use probation most expansively. A detailed analysis of these conditions is important, because the extent of the state's authority to control and punish probationers depends on the substance of the conditions imposed.