Probacija. Quid id est?
Probation. Quid id est?

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses different periods of political—economic situations and philosophic—legal ideas in different advanced foreign countries, which determined the penal systems’ humanization and enabled creation and development of probation in these countries, in order to deduce and evaluate the term of probation, its content and concept that would meet the national (Lithuanian) context. It is noted that the pending probation term was formed in international practice as a result of the social and legal systems’ evolution in different foreign countries. The article deals with the probation term as an independent criminal punishment, as a separate criminal or penitentiary (punishment enforcement) legal institutions implementation, as an alternative to imprisonment realization, as work of certain punishment enforcement institutions, even as the various socio-educational measures application in criminal justice. Attention is drawn to the fact that modern science and advanced foreign practices have led to a sufficient variety in definitions of probation. This can be explained by the fact that the probation term is closely associated with social—legal situation and cultural traditions prevailing in the individual countries, so the probation is usually defined according to the social context in which it is applied. It is noted that the diversity of probation term’s concepts and of differences in probation content’s treatment determines the differences in the probation terms’ definition treatment. Given the fact that currently Lithuania is expected to create new and probably progressive non-custodial sentencing and the other punitive measures implementing system, it offers such a definition of the probation: probation—the implementation in the community of sanctions and measures (not related to the property rights restrictions of offenders) and the legal content of criminal coercive measures defined by realisation of law and imposed on an offender, and it includes a range of activities and interventions, which involve supervision, guidance and assistance aiming at the social inclusion of an offender. It is noted that the proposed definition would agree with the national context, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ recommendations and did not leave beyond the probation system boundaries the other progressive alternatives to imprisonment (such as restriction of freedom, public works, educational or criminal sanctions, etc.). In order to adjust comprehensively and systematically social—legal relationships within probation as a process, in the development of the Probation Law it is proposed to define goals and objectives of probation, subjects rights and responsibilities as well as other relevant matters (those who committed criminal acts, care, social assistance, social rehabilitation of offenders, individual rights, responsibilities, etc.), and most importantly—alternative sanctions and the legal content of crimin

• Details
• Contents