Community Corrections as Diversion - Saving Money and Reducing State Commitments (From Probation, Parole, and Community Corrections, P 81-93, 1985, Lawrence F Travis III, ed. - See NCJ-105068)

• NCJ Number: 105073
• Author(s): E J Latessa
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Results of an Ohio program that uses probation with intensive supervision instead of incarceration for selected offenders shows that substantial cost savings can be achieved with no appreciable increase in the risk to the community.

Abstract

The Incarceration Diversion Unit has operated out of the Lucas County Adult Probation Department (Ohio) since 1978. Only offenders given a State prison term are eligible. Each officer has 25 or fewer cases, and the supervisor has 15 cases. The program was evaluated using a quasi-experimental design with groups of offenders matched for race, gender, and risk; and measurements of costs and commitment rates between 1978 and 1983. Overall, the program has resulted in a 17-percent reduction in the number of offenders sentenced to State prisons from Lucas County between February 1978 and December 1982. The program has offset its costs and shown a savings of $901,000, including court costs and restitution paid. Other counties in Ohio could successfully copy this program, saving about $9.2 million over a 5-year period in the 5 larger counties. The program exemplifies the way community corrections can achieve the goals of probation. Tables, notes, and 11 references.