1. Describe the work of John Augustus and the features of his supervision practices that influenced modern probation. 2. Explain the difference between mandatory release and discretionary release.

Running Head: Probation         1
Probation         2
PROBATION
Table of Contents
Question 1    3
Question 2    4
References    5
Question 1
    The English criminal laws that were prevalent in the Middle Ages exhibited extremely stringent punishments on both adults as well as children for offenses that were not serious. John Augustus, who was a member of the Washington Total Abstinence Society, decided to take to the Boston Courts to deal with the punishments that were associated with crimes that were not of a serious demeanor (Labrecque, 2017). The Washingtonians started to abstain from the consumption of alcohol, which also helped them in convincing others that the abusers of alcohol could be better rehabilitated through the help of implementation of understanding, kindness as well as sustained moral persuasion. In cases such as that of alcohol abuse, harsh punishments such as jail sentencing and conviction proved to be counter-productive in many ways.
    In the year 1841, John Augustus took the responsibility of bringing about a massive change in the systems of criminal law (COUNTY OF SAN MATEO, 2020). He took a drunkard under his wing, who was supposed to appear at the...