NCJ Number
195305
Date Published
May 2002
Length
101 pages
Annotation
This report discusses the first study of the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programs, implemented since 1997 in New York City.
Abstract
The study focused on which offenders were sent to ATIs, what happened in the program, whether the programs compromised public safety, and how the system might be improved. The study done in New York City of its Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) program, were implemented in 1997, found that the courts were sending serious offenders, mostly charged with B-level felonies, to ATIs. The ATI programs appeared to be highly supervised and structured with only one being residential; and an average of nine group counseling sessions and one 90-minute individual counseling session are provided to each offender weekly. Results of the study found that ATI-treated offenders did not re-offend any more often than those in a comparison group indicated that rigorous community programs could be used in lieu of jail without increasing the risk to the public. The use of rigorous community programs instead of jail to treat offenders is recommended as a result of this study. The study's chapters include: need for ATIs, ATI entry and participants, ATI supervision and treatment, retention and completion rates, public safety, implications, and conclusion. Appendices include program descriptions, research methodology, and alternative measures of recidivism. Tables