Is there a time after which probation supervision loses its effectiveness?
The answer to this question depends on what the agency/office wants probation to accomplish in each case. The length of a probation sentence should be affected by the outcome that is being sought (e.g., What do you want the offender to accomplish? What will the community tolerate?). Also, the length of time someone is sentenced to probation is not necessarily the length of time someone should serve on probation. Just because someone receives a ten-year sentence to probation doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be discharged after three years if they have accomplished all of what was expected of them. Therefore, in appropriate cases, early discharge should be considered and used as an incentive to motivate the offender. Probation can become ineffective the first day someone is on probation if there is not a credible and balanced system of supervision, intervention and treatment. It can also become ineffective if someone has completed all of their conditions and remaining on probation prevents th
