Publisher's Synopsis
Probationers with substance use disorders (SUD) face outcomes that are generally
worse than those of their non-addicted counterparts. Technical violations are one of the
primary drivers of failure on probation, and/or incarceration and they are often related to
ongoing substance use. When probationers with SUD commit technical probation
violations, probation officers frequently have discretion in case management
recommendations, including whether to pursue formal sanctions. Little is known about
the attitudes and beliefs held by probation officers toward substance using probationers.
Further there is a lack of understanding about how those attitudes impact the decisionmaking
process, and how they might be shaped by education and training in substance
use disorders. Research of other stigmatized disorders such as mental illness suggests that
education and training among service providers can reduce stigma.
To fill this gap in the literature, this study uses an exploratory survey of probation
and parole officers in the United States which includes previously validated measures
from law enforcement, mental health, and probation to probe attitudes among probation
officers about substance use, and the impact of SUD education and training on
approaches to substance related technical violations. Findings suggest that while the
amount of education and training in SUD among probation officers is limited,
respondents' recommendations for SUD related technical probation violations were still
primarily treatment oriented with some variation by age.
