https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986217752160 Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 2018, Vol. 34(1) 5–12 © The Author(s) 2018 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1043986217752160 journals.sagepub.com/home/ccj Article Everything That Is Old Is New Again—Old Again—New Again . . . Mario A. Paparozzi 1 and Roger Guy 1 Abstract Since the decade of the 1970s, the policies and practices in probation, parole, and community corrections have vacillated between an emphasis on rehabilitation and enforcement, and most recently back to rehabilitation. While these paradigmatic shifts in ideology are driven by top management, generally at the behest of elected officials who are concerned with burgeoning costs and the desire not to appear soft on crime, it is what is done in everyday practice at the “street level” that determines if change actually occurs and is interpreted. This essay discusses probation and parole practices with regard to fluctuations in emphasis on the offender rehabilitation and law enforcement functions of probation and parole officers. Keywords probation, parole, reentry, evidence-based practice, professional orientation This essay is first and foremost a reflective piece on the first author’s involvement in community corrections policy and practice over the past 44 years. While my line staff, supervisory, and senior administrative practitioner experiences spanned 30 years in the State of New Jersey, my perspective is national. I have provided, and continue to engage in, countless training workshops, consulting, technical assistance, and conference talks. Over the course of these 44 years, I have personally visited and interacted with com- munity corrections practitioners in all but four states. Let me say at the outset that I have encountered some excellent examples of probation and parole agencies providing robust evidence-based principles grounded in the “what works” school of thought. Unfortunately, I have countenanced many more practitioners and policy makers who 1 University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC, USA Corresponding Author: Mario A. Paparozzi, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, University of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC 28372, USA. Email: mario.paparozzi@uncp.edu 752160CCJ XX X 10.1177/1043986217752160Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticePaparozzi and Guy research-article 2018