The 1.5 million delinquency cases handled by juvenile courts in 1993 represented a 23-percent increase from 1989. The growth in probation caseloads was directly related to the general growth in referrals to juvenile courts. The likelihood of a probation disposition did not change, because judges did not increase the rate at which they used probation as a disposition. To the extent that probation is a mirror of what juvenile courts are facing, it is not surprising that probation officers are finding more violent youth in their caseloads. Moreover, while there has not been a change in judicial use of probation as a disposition, the increase in violent youth on probation may very well be a result of a lack of secure beds for these offenders.
Probation is the only alternative.
The field of probation is staffed by dedicated individuals who believe that young persons who break the law can change their behavior in favor of law-abiding activities. Probation departments cannot, however, limit their intake of probationers like private providers or State training schools, which routinely operate over capacity and often have caps on admissions. There is a growing perception that the work of juvenile probation is increasingly dangerous. Almost one-third of the survey respondents reported that they had been assaulted on the job at some point in their careers. Balancing juvenile probation officers' safety and the safety of the public with probationers' needs is a major challenge.