Function

• Probation has two major functions. First, probation protects the community by monitoring the offender. Secondly, probation assists the offender in abiding by the law.
  
  

Types

• There are four different types of probation. Intensive probation is the type of probation where the offender is closely monitored often by GPS monitoring or home detention. Offenders under standard probation are required to report to probation officers biweekly, monthly or quarterly. Offenders under unsupervised probation do not have direct supervision by an officer. Informal supervision is supervised or unsupervised probation without having been found guilty of a crime.
  
  

History

• In the United States, the first instance of probation was in 1841 when John Augustus persuaded a Boston judge to give him custody of a criminal offender who was an alcoholic. Augustus successfully rehabilitated the man before his sentencing.
  
  

Fun Fact

• According to funfactz.com, about 1 in 30 people in America are in jail, on probation or on parole.
  
  

Misconceptions

• There are other meanings of the word probation that many people don't consider. In employment, probation is defined as the period of time during which an employer tests how suitable an applicant is for a job. In education, academic probation is a period of time when a student is given a chance to improve his academic grades or behavior.