Extent of Adherence to the Conditions of Probation as Stipulated in P.D. No. 968 as Assessed by the Probation Officers

The study was conducted to a) find out the profile of the probationers as assessed by the probation officers in terms of age, sex, crimes committed, and duration of probation; b) determine the probationer’s extent of adherence to the conditions of probations as stipulated in P.D. No. 968 as assessed by the probation officers; and c) establish the significant differences in the extent of adherence to the conditions of probations when they are grouped according to age, sex, crimes committed, and period of probation. The study was conducted through the descriptive research design. According to Kumar (2000), a descriptive research design attempts to describe systematically a situation, problem, phenomenon, service or program, and to discover the relationship between two or more aspects of a situation. The study was conducted in Region X. The respondents were composed of twenty (20) probation officers, distributed as follows: 3 from Iligan City; 8 from Cagayan de Oro City; 2 from Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon; 3 from Malaybalay City; 2 from Valencia City; and 2 from Don Carlos, Bukidnon. The data gathering was done after the Assistant Regional Director of Parole and Probation Administration approved the study upon endorsement of the Dean, College of Law Enforcement and Public Safety, and Research Adviser. The research instrument used was a questionnaire with items consistent with the objectives of the study. The conditions of probation were stipulated in Presidential Decree No. 968, hence, no test of reliability was done. The validity of the instrument was done through the judgment of experts – the Assistant-Regional Director of PPA; Dean of the College of Law Enforcement and Public Safety of Liceo de Cagayan University; a Criminology Instructor, and a Statistician. The data were presented and analyzed through the frequencies, percentages, and weighted mean. The null hypothesis was tested through the t-test (mean-difference test) and F-test (ANOVA). The conditions of probation are moderately adhered to by the probationers as assessed by the probation officers. A full adherence was observed among several items specifically on the home visits by the probation officer, residing in an approved domicile, and complying to conditions related to rehabilitation. A relatively low extent of adherence is manifested on the provisions of medical, psychological and psychiatric examination, governmental facility for instruction and recreation. The probationers’ age, sex, crimes committed, and period of probation do not have a significant bearing to the observance of conditions of probation as stipulated in Presidential Decree No. 968.

 

Keywords: Adherence, Conditions of Probation, Presidential Decree No. 968, Probationers, Probation Officers