Skip to Main Content

LEJA 442-DiFonso: Finding State Sentencing and Probation Information

This is information related to individual journal and paper reports in LEJA 442, Current Issues in Corrections

Five Steps for Finding Sentencing and Probation Information About Your State

1.  For mission statement,  policy, statistics, etc.,  Go to the State's Correction's Dept. Web page. You can browse for topics. - OR -  Search terms such as "sentencing" or  "Truth in Sentencing" or "Determinate Sentencing" in their page's search box.  Then also search "probation"


2. For evidence based programs and studies,   Go back to the databaes 

EBSCOhost Academic Premierhttp://www.wiu.edu/library/direct/?ASP   

Criminal Justice,  http://www.wiu.edu/library/direct/?CJPI

Criminal Justice Abastracts,    http://www.wiu.edu/library/direct/?CJA

and search such terms as:

probation in the Abstract

Florida in the Abstract

evidenced based in the Abstract.

---  or ----

sentencing in the Abstract

Florida in the Abstract

"evidence based" in the Abstract


3.  Go back to the Access World News database.  Pick your state.  Search all years available.  Search terms such as "sentencing" or  "Truth in Sentencing" or "Determinate Sentencing" in the lead paragraph.  Do the same by searching "probation" in your state. These are not scholarly articles, but they may give you some terms and perspectives for your state to aid you in finding relevant information in other sources.


4.  Go to www.google.com and add  site:gov in front of your search terms.  For example, try google  site:gov searches of: 

site:gov sentencing florida          site:gov "truth in sentencing" florida         site:gov "determinate sentencing" florida   
site:gov probation florida            site:gov "evidence based" probation florida         site:gov "evidence based" sentencing


 5.  Use the Bureau of Justice Statistics Web page and the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCRJS)  Web page search boxes to search such terms as "truth in sentencing"  etc.


6. Do a general google search of such terms as sentencing florida           "truth in sentencing" florida                probation florida                                           "evidence based" probation Florida  etc.   

Some states do not use .gov in their urls.  So this is a way to possibly find offical state information from states that do not use .gov.  Also, other organizations may have useful information about sentencing in a particular state.  But be sure to evaluate the pages you find!!!!  Who published that information?  Are they advocating a point of view?  Do they cite the sources for their information?  


7.  Law Review Journals in LexisNexis Academic.   http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sf&sfi=AC07STJrnlsSrch

Searches such as  SUMMARY(probation and florida)        SUMMARY(sentencing and florida)   SUMMARY(truth in sentencing and florida)

Summary(probation and florida and "evidence based")


8. Bureau of Justice Statistic    http://www.bjs.gov/

 (See "Corrections" in upper left) (search terms like probation, "truth in sentencing" in search box)


9.  National Criminal Justice Statistics    https://ncjrs.gov/
(see "Corrections" in upper left)  (Search terms like sentencing, probation in search box)


10.  Infotrac Academic Search Premiere.  http://www.wiu.edu/library/direct/?EAI

By default, the search is searching their Subject Guide.   For example search Probation in their subject guide.  Then click on By Subdivision.  Then choose from subtipics such as Analysis.  Then search within results for your state.  Then within an individual article, do "Find" from your browser to search for your state's name in the article.

Contact Info.

Chuck Malone, 4th floor Malpass Library,  

298-2719,     c-malone@wiu.edu

Contact Information

Chuck Malone

c-malone@wiu.edu

4th floor Malpass Library

298-2719