A Review of Probation Home Visits: What Do We Know?

The authors highlight the historicall importance of home visits as a key element of probation and suggest future avenues to inform the field about their full potential and utility. They first provide an overview of the history of probation, then outline its evolution over the last century to encompass not only low-risk offenders but those at higher risk of recidivism and violating public safety, discussing how home visits are applicable to this population. They conclude with a discussion of the gaps in our knowledge on home visits and suggestions on how to address these gaps in future research.