The Pitfalls of Probation

Guest: University of Minnesota Assistant Professor of Sociology and Robina Institute of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice faculty member Michelle Phelps.

The probation system as we know it dates back to the Progressive Era. Created to provide offenders with a supervised path to reintegrate into society, contemporary critics say that probation is often arbitrarily enforced and is frequently a pipeline back to prison. University of Minnesota Assistant Professor of Sociology Michelle Phelps discusses her research on the probation system and how it disproportionally impacts African-Americans.