John Augustus and Probation

A humble Boston boot maker nicknamed the ‘Father of Probation’, John Augustus was a pioneer in his efforts to campaign for convicted criminals to receive more lenient sentences based on backgrounds. (Jones and Braswell) His attempt at rehabilitating the criminal was so successful that even today’s standards do not match it. Because of his noble efforts and high success rate, numerous Boston organizations and philanthropists aided and devoted themselves to his cause. He became the first probation officer, lasting eighteen years in helping convicted criminals gain a second chance. He helped almost 2,000 people with only 4 criminals proving unworthy of probation. (Jones and Braswell)
Back when probation was not practiced in the United States, criminals had no real chance at rehabilitation. This is because the United States Criminal Justice System had adopted a British means of handling criminals via applying to the king for a pardon. While the kind of ‘second chance’ worked in England, in the United States, it made no sense. “The problem was that offenders could be under the purview of the court for an indefinite period. The indefinite sentence allowed the judge to suspend the sentence and punish the reprieved offender if he or she violated the law.” (Jones and Braswell 159)
With such a faulty system in place, Augustus came and demonstrated to the Courts that there were other options. “Augustus convinced the judge to allow him to ‘stand bail’ for the offender who was later released into his custody. When Augustus returned within the three weeks with the ‘reformed’ drunkard, the judge was so impressed that he reduced the fine and suspended the man’s sentence of incarceration.” (Jones and Braswell 159) With just three weeks Augustus not only changed the drunkard in a positive way, but also showed that he could be rehabilitated to an extent where no longer proved a threat to society. This is the kind of initiative lacking in the current American Criminal Justice System.
This initiative allowed offenders to maintain family ties and fulfill important community, family and work obligations. (Hess, et al.) Currently, while there is probation, the kind of people responsible for the rehabilitation of offenders’ leaves little in terms of connection and communication. Augustus helped each individual he put in his care. He was a prosperous shoe maker that had not only the compassion, but the ability to connect with the people he helped. This is missing in the current probation system. If such efforts are provided, perhaps the offenders under probation may have better outcomes. It truly depends on whether the current criminal justice system is willing to adopt a more personal and individual approach like Augustus did.
In conclusion, probation is what it is today thanks to pioneers like John Augustus. A Bostonian with a kind heart, he helped convicted criminals get a fresh start. His work would later lay the foundation from which rehabilitative efforts of convicted criminals would form. Thanks to his efforts, he proved the efficacy of rehabilitation and the ability of convicted criminals to become better people if given a second chance.
Although the American Criminal Justice Department has taken a punitive approach in the last few decades, Augustus’ work shows the direction towards rehabilitation is the true key to success. Convicted criminals need a chance to better themselves in order to reduce crime and disparities in the United States. If the direction towards rehabilitation takes on a more formative direction, the United States may see a revival of Augustus-like effort in Criminal Justice. That is a worthy direction to take.



Works Cited
Hess, Karen M, et al. Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. Cengage Learning, 2016.
Jones, Mark, and Michael C. Braswell. Exploring Corrections in America. Anderson, 2010.