What is Shock Probation?

I think a variety of factors would need to be considered before this option is chosen as opposed to traditional probation (not incarceration).

Removing people from society will likely damage their ability to overcome the challenges they were facing which lead them there in the first place. Especially if the person has an established career , mortgage / rent. However I feel this approach could be used more effectively especially in the cases where removal from society for a short time will not create a big rift in the persons personal life after the fact. I could see this being useful for especially for those those involved in crimes for personal financial gain (Drugs , theft, ). But it's much more harmful to the person who has children, and a full time job who committed a white collar crime.

I also do not see this at all being helpful in the case of planned violent crime where clear motivation to do violence was there. My point is if you want to "shock" someone and reduce recidivism, understand what's at stake for that person's life, for most low level crimes a few fines and standard probation is more fitting - as soon as you put someone in jail which leads to termination of employment and income - they are left picking up the pieces and may not recover which would lead to further crime.

In summary these scared straight tactics would be great for the teen who lives at their parents house and sells drugs, but very damaging for 32 year old accountant who got a little drunk and disorderly at the local sports game.

If the offender has not had any other felony convictions over five years or was a youthful offender, the judge may grant the offender shock probation. The judge takes into consideration many factors and at the end it is up to the judge and the judge alone. In many cases the judge grants shock probation to the offender given this PSI classification level. Also, having a good lawyer definitely helps.

What about if a person is convicted of a C class felony in New York state for possession of a loaded firearm? Would this person still be eligible for shock probation? The firearm was purchased legally, and the person has never committed any other crimes.

Shock probation as an alternative to ridiculously long prison terms for addicts and alcoholics is a good idea. Addiction and alcoholism are associated with criminal activity, but if more addicts receive treatment it is a treatable disease. I vote for rehab vs. prison. Build more state funded rehabs not prisons, an incubator to perpetuate crime.

There are too many lengthy prison terms for addicts. That is why there is overcrowding. Rehab works better for addicts than prison. I think our penal system is in the dark ages and more rehabs need to be built. We should be trying to mend, not break people.

Many inmates in the prison system are beat up and raped. I think there is a more humane way to treat addiction than sending someone to prison for fifteen years. Unfortunately, addicts commit crimes such as burglary to support their habit. If education was treatment rather than punishment, there would be less reason to build more jails.

Shock probation is a good alternative to help save inmates who can reform, as opposed to excessively long prison terms and burdens on government funds. I would much rather see addicts be given a chance to reform than leaving them in prison to get sicker.

@LTimmins - I totally agree with you! If you look at the last paragraph of the article, it says that lawyers can advise their clients about shock probation. If someone is charged with a felony conviction, of course they'll be on good behavior in order to be free as soon as possible. Perhaps solving the problem of overcrowded prisons would be a better idea? An intensive reform program for first-time prisoners might also help to keep them out of trouble once they're released.

@LTimmins - You've got quite a strong opinion there and while I agree on some points, I do also think that shock probation could work in some select cases. For example, a first time offender who might have committed a minor crime - say a burglary - might be suitably shocked by the consequences of their actions after spending some time in prison. Don't forget that they're still under supervision for some time upon release, so they're not entirely free from the eyes of the law just yet.

I'm not sure at all that I like the idea of shock probation! I'm sure it would be easy for criminals to avoid any probation violations for a few months and then return to their old ways once their out. The argument that this type of probation reduces overcrowding in prisons seems to be null. Prisoners should carry out their full sentence instead of being allowed back into society after such a short time!