More than a quarter had been contacted by mail or telephone. In addition, for more than a quarter of all probationers, probation officers had made contacts with other persons, such as employers, teachers, counselors, relatives, and police officers to gather information. About 30 percent of probationers had previously been sentenced to jail or prison.
Probation is conditional release into the community under supervision in lieu of incarceration.
Thirty-seven percent of the probationers surveyed had served time in jail or prison for their current offense before being released into the community under supervision, An estimated 35 percent of those convicted of a felony and 25 percent of those convicted of a misdemeanor had served time in a local jail for the offense for which they are currently on probation. Nine percent of the felons had served time in a prison. Nearly a third had been tested for drugs at least once while on probation. Almost all probationers had conditions attached to their sentences, and 82 percent had three or more. Since 1990 the nation's probation population has grown an average of 3 percent per year.