Every society demands safety. Every society needs to be safe. America must be safe. In this paper, the pros of probation versus incarceration will be discussed. To better understand the points made in this essay, it necessary to know what both incarceration and probation refers to. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, probation defines a situation where an adult offender is been placed under supervision, most often in lieu of incarceration, through a probation agency. Though, it must be noted that some jurisdictions may sentence probationers to a combined short-term incarceration sentence followed by probation, which is termed a split-sentence (1). Incarceration, however, simply put, is the state of being confined in a prison (Oxford…show more content… Known as a fundamental concept in criminal justice, it describes one’s relapse into criminal activity. According to CBS News, with analyzed data from a BJS report entitled Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2005, it asserts of the 68% of 405,000 prisoners released in 30 states were rearrested within three years of their release from prison and 77 % were arrested within five years frame. The article further noted that Regardless of the initial incarceration offense approximately 58% of released prisoners were rearrested for a public order offense within 5 years since their release from prison. Of those who are rearrested, estimated 39% were for a drug offense, 38 % due to a property offense and 29 % for a violent offense (Slifer, p.1-2,…show more content… Research shows that having a strong community supervision programs for lower-risk, non-violent offenders not only cost significantly less than incarceration but, when appropriately resourced and managed, can cut recidivism by as much as 30%. By diverting these offenders to community supervision programs, that are well equipped, not only frees up “prison beds needed to house violent offenders” but can provide budget makers with supplementary resources for other public issue ("Pew Press Release: 1 in 31 U.S. Adults in Prison