Abstract
The number of individuals who are reentering communities from prison, jail, and on community supervision across the United States is vast and due to its size a limited number of programs are used on a regular basis. The purpose of this research was to better understand how adults on probation desist from reoffending. Specifically, this researcher asked both adults on probation and an accompanying sample of probation officers about how each: (1) define success, (2) challenges, and (3) how the relationships and services probation provides do and do not support efforts toward desistance, using a qualitative, exploratory design. Maruna (2001) defines desistance as “the long-term abstinence from crime among individuals who previously engaged in persistent patterns of criminal offending." This study was exploratory and looked at the current approaches a sample of probation officers used with their clients, their prioritization of duties in this role, the factors that encourage success in this relationship, and how each understand and define “success”. The clients (probationers) were also interviewed using similar questions formatted to their point of view. The results show that the probation officers and probations in this sample report having some similar answers in terms of several of the variables and point to the need for increased resources for probationers and involvement from probation officers.