We examined juvenile probation officers’ use of evidence-based principles in routine supervision contacts in five counties of a reforming state, focusing on relationship quality, attention to criminogenic needs, and the use of structuring activities. We did this using ethnographic observations of 112 routine supervision contacts, supplemented by qualitative interviews and a practitioner survey. Analysis showed officers typically applied some evidence-based principles in supervision meetings, though encounters varied in their focus on rehabilitation, and whether rehabilitative work used specialized techniques. Variations were shaped by client circumstances and meeting contexts. They also reflected officers’ affinity for specialized approaches, with evidence suggesting the existence of a group of “experts” within the officer population committed to using specialized techniques. The presence of experts was related, in part, to offices’ leadership, organizational practices, and history with evidence-based reforms. Findings offer cautious optimism about the prospects for mainstreaming these evidence-based principles within community corrections agencies.

我们在改革国家五个县的例行监督接触中研究了青少年缓刑官对循证原则的使用，重点是关系质量，对犯罪需求的关注以及结构性活动的使用。我们通过对112个例行监督联系人进行人种学观察，并辅以定性访谈和从业人员调查，来做到这一点。分析表明，军官通常在监督会议上采用一些基于证据的原则，尽管遇到的重心是康复，以及康复工作是否使用了专门技术。差异取决于客户的情况和会议背景。他们还反映了军官对专业化方法的热爱，有证据表明，致力于使用专门技术的军官人群中存在着一组“专家”。专家的出席在一定程度上与办公室的领导能力，组织实践和以证据为基础的改革的历史有关。对于将这些基于证据的原则纳入社区矫正机构主流的前景，调查结果持谨慎乐观的态度。