Who were John Augustus and Matthew Davenport Hill, and what was their role in regard to probation in their respective countries?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The development of the probation idea can be credited to two co-founding individuals: John Augustus and Matthew Davenport Hill. The credit for founding probation in the United States is reserved for John Augustus, a Boston boot maker. Augustus (1939) was committed to bailing out offenders that he deemed would return to court. The offenders would be ordered to appear before the court at a stated time, at which Augustus would accompany each to the courtroom. If the judge was satisfied with Augustus's account of his stewardship, the offender, instead of being committed to the House of Correction, would be fined one cent and court costs and Augustus paid the fine. Matthew Davenport Hill was less known in the United States, but he deserves equal credit alongside John Augustus as a co-founder of probation. Hill laid the foundation of probation in England, where he lived and worked. Both pioneers supervised offenders in the community while reporting their behavior to the court. Release to the community was premised upon continued law-abiding behavior, as it is in contemporary probation.