Karen Gilligan, age 16, was the oldest of four children living with their parentsin a small rural community. Her mother worked two jobs, her father wasunemployed, and both parents drank heavily. Karen's high school attendancewas sporadic. She started to experiment with alcohol and vandalized localbusinesses. After being arrested in a stolen car on several occasions, Karenwas referred to juvenile court and was put on community supervision andprobation. An initial assessment was provided by her probation officer, andformal dispositional recommendations were made to the court. She wouldremain at home on house arrest for 60 days, attend school regularly andmaintain at least a C average, follow an alcohol and drug assessment program,and participate in weekly family therapy with her parents. Karen was alsoordered to cooperate with the juvenile restitution program, pay her restitutionin full within six months, and participate in the Community AdolescentIntensive Supervision Program, as arranged by her probation officer.Not used to being accountable to anyone, Karen struggled initially with all thenew rules and expectations. She missed some of her initial appointments andskipped some classes at school. Karen's probation officer began makingunannounced visits to her at school, trying to help her understand theconsequences of her behavior. It was clear to the probation officer that Karenpossessed many strengths and positive attributes. She enjoyed dancing andsinging, and even liked school at times. The team of professionals encouragedher to focus on these qualities.In addition to Karen's individual counseling, her family participated in weeklyfamily therapy to talk about their issues and to address how to best support thechildren. Initially, the sessions were very challenging and stressful for theentire family. They blamed each other for their difficulties, and Karen seemedto be the target of much of the anger expressed by her parents.During the many months of intensive supervision, treatment, and familytherapy, Karen was able to stop her delinquent behavior, pay her restitution,attend school regularly, and improve her communication with her parents.Through therapy, Karen's mother also acknowledged that she needed someassistance with her drinking and entered treatment. Karen's probation officerprovided the court with regular monthly progress reports showing significantimprovement in Karen's behavior and lifestyle choices. Karen has proven hersuccess and remains living with her parents and siblings. She plans to attend alocal college after graduation to prepare for a career in the medical field

Looking Back to Karen's StoryProbation was an important component in Karen's case.CRITICAL THINKINGDiscuss the pros and cons of the probation officer's recommendations to the court. Also, identify some additional programs/services that would have been helpful in Karen's situation