NCJ Number
195842
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 293-312
Date Published
June 2002
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effectiveness of using electronic monitoring (EM) as a supervision tool for violent male parolees by comparing those who were mandated to such supervision and were released in fiscal year 1996 (n=128) to a random sample who did not receive such supervision and were released in fiscal year 1995 (n=158).
Abstract
Effectiveness was assessed by examining return to prison and time to failure within 4 years of release. The study used data files compiled by the central office of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. To determine the effect of EM on recommitment to prison, the study controlled for certain demographic and criminal-history variables that previous studies identified as influencing recidivism. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the effects of EM on parolees' recommitment to prison. The results of this analysis suggest that adding an EM component to parole supervision has no significant independent effect on the likelihood of a parolee being recommitted to prison during the follow-up period or on the amount of time before recommitment to prison. The findings suggest that EM has different effects on various types of offenders; whereas, sex offenders overall were more likely to return to prison than were other violent offenders, placement on EM reduced the likelihood of and postponed their return to prison. The authors advise that the results of this study should be interpreted as preliminary because of shortcomings of the data. 3 tables and 71 references