We tested the effects of assignment to a collaborative model of post-release community supervision (PRCS), which emphasizes release planning, prioritizes the officer-client relationship, and invites the client to actively participate in their reentry process.
Conditionally exogenous assignment of 261 high-risk, male clients to the collaborative Pathways Home Program or a traditional PRCS supervision model. All clients were released from California state prison to PRCS in Alameda County, California, between December 31, 2018, and July 31, 2020. Results: We find that clients assigned to the collaborative model are 17 percentage points (p < 0.01) more likely than the control group to report to their first probation meeting within the required 48 h following release. In the longer-term, we find that intervention clients are 14 percentage points (p < 0.05) less likely to have their probation revoked during the year following release, relative to those assigned to the traditional probation model. Results demonstrate that a collaborative model of post-release community supervision holds promise for helping high-risk clients successfully complete their supervision term.