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Sociologists and psychologists have proposed many theories over the years to try to explain criminal behavior.

As a probation officer, you will work with communities and other officers to identify risks and integrate research with theories to explain and prevent criminal behavior. You will need to use conflict-resolution skills, such as active listening, when you encounter different opinions on strategies for handling offenders. Probation officers must be able to identify the policy implications associated with criminality in society to be ready to justify their decisions for crime prevention based on policy and evidence-based theories.

Sociologists and psychologists have proposed many theories over the years to try to explain criminal behavior. Among the psychosocial theories proposed are strain theory, Sutherland’s differential association theory, cultural transmission theory, and social control theory.

For this assessment, community residents have been notified that the violent or sex offender from the case you’ll be selecting is planning to re-enter the neighborhood. Residents have asked for a probation officer to attend an upcoming meeting where the community will hold a briefing, listen to concerns, and answer questions to manage potential conflict and resistance.

Select and use an example of violent criminal behavior from a current event in your state and 1 psychosocial theory to interpret the criminal behavior. Use them to prepare a 525- to 700-word list of talking points as if you were a probation officer speaking to community residents during a briefing to justify decisions made in the case. Prepare for the briefing by listing the talking points that you will include in your notes while addressing the community. Provide evidence and explain rationale for the decisions made in the original case to support your open communication with residents.

Include the following information in your list of talking points for the briefing, with supportive examples from your research on the selected psychosocial theory and current event:

Criminal behavior: Summarize an example of violent criminal behavior from a current event in your state.
Psychosocial theory: Identify a psychosocial theory and summarize its basic principles. Explain why the selected theory or school of thought is a psychological or sociological approach. Describe how the theory furthers our understanding of crimes of violence.
Theory-policy connection: Describe how the theory can explain the behavior which is being targeted for prevention or prosecution. Identify a current policy that the theory may align to or support. Current policy examples include:
The U.S. Marshals Service’s "Operation Not Forgotten" policy program
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF's) policy of cooperating with local law enforcement to keep illegal firearms off the streets
United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA's) policy for collaborating with local police to combat the use of fentanyl
Relate the policy to the criminal behavior. Explain what the theory implies for handling prosecution and prevention.
Policy implementation: Provide a valid reason or circumstance under which the individual could be ready to re-enter the community according to the theory in this case.
Format your talking points as complete sentences ready to be included into notes for the briefing. Organize your list into paragraphs, bullets, or another clear outline of ideas that could easily be read aloud while giving a briefing to an audience.

Sample Answer

Probation Officer's Briefing Notes: Re-Entry of a Violent Offender

Good evening. I am Probation Officer [Your Name], and I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you tonight. I understand the anxiety and concern surrounding the planned re-entry of the offender, Mr. A.B.. My purpose here is to engage in open communication, address your concerns using active listening, and provide evidence-based justification for the supervision plan developed in this case, ensuring both public safety and the mandate of successful rehabilitation.

Case Summary and Theoretical Framework

The case involves the violent criminal behavior of Mr. A.B., who was convicted in [Your State] two years ago for aggravated assault involving a severe, unprovoked physical attack on a stranger following a dispute over property. This is a matter that profoundly impacted our local community and underscores the serious nature of violent crime. Our primary goal is to prevent recidivism and safely reintegrate the individual back into society following their period of incarceration.

To interpret and manage this behavior, we are applying Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory (GST). This is a sociological approach because it focuses on external social structures and pressures (societal strains) that push individuals toward crime, rather than internal psychological deficits. GST's basic principles suggest that crime is a coping mechanism for negative affective states (like anger, frustration, and depression) that arise from three major categories of strain:

Failure to achieve positively valued goals (e.g., financial success, status).

Removal of positively valued stimuli (e.g., loss of a job, death of a loved one).

Presentation of negative stimuli (e.g., abusive relationships, hostile social environment).

GST furthers our understanding of violent crimes because it posits that when individuals experience these strains, they are most likely to respond with anger and aggression, increasing the probability of a violent offense as a way to alleviate the strain or seek revenge. In Mr. A.B.'s case, reports indicated he had recently lost his employment and experienced severe financial strain, which, according to GST, contributed to a high level of resentment and rage that ultimately fueled the violent outburst.

Theory-Policy Connection and Justification

General Strain Theory informs our strategy for both prosecution and, crucially, prevention. For prosecution, the theory implies the courts should assess the degree to which environmental strains played a role, but it does not diminish personal accountability. For prevention and supervision, GST dictates that we must reduce or manage the individual's exposure to criminogenic strains and teach non-criminal coping mechanisms.

This aligns directly with the policy of the U.S. Marshals Service's "Operation Not Forgotten", which, while primarily focused on missing children, has an underpinning principle of inter-agency collaboration and community engagement to address vulnerable populations and criminal networks. A more specific policy alignment is found in comprehensive community-based reentry programs that focus on reducing strains.