EVALUATION OF THE CALIFORNIA PROBATION SUBSIDY PROGRAM, V 5 - IMPACT OF COMMITMENT REDUCTION ON THE RECIDIVISM OF OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 36490
• Author(s): F FEENEY; T HIRSCHI
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 107 pages
• Grant Number(s): NI-70-029; 72-NI-99-0029; 72-NI-00-0029
• Corporate Author: University of California, Davis
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE BASIC IDEA OF THE SUBSIDY PROGRAM WAS TO REDUCE PRISON AND JUVENILE COMMITMENTS BY PROVIDING MORE EFFECTIVE CORRECTIONAL SERVICES IN THE COMMUNITY, MAINLY INTENSIVE PROBATION SUPERVISION TO SMALL CASELOADS.

Abstract

THIS CALIFORNIA PROGRAM, WHICH BEGAN IN JULY 1966, HAD ONE UNIQUE FEATURE: PAYMENTS TO THE COUNTIES WERE GEARED WHOLLY TO REDUCING COMMITMENTS - $4000 FOR EACH REDUCTION ACHIEVED. THIS VOLUME, FIFTH IN A SIX-PART EVALUATION REPORT, COMPARES THE RECIDIVISM EXPERIENCE OF OFFENDERS CONVICTED IN A PRE-SUBSIDY YEAR- 1965 - WITH THAT OF A POST-SUBSIDY YEAR- 1970 - TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF RECIDIVISM ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE COMMITMENT REDUCTION CASES. BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WAY TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE NOT COMMITTED, THE STUDY EXAMINES SEPARATELY 12 DIFFERENT GROUPS: 1965 JUVENILE AND ADULT LOCALLY SENTENCED CASES, SIMILAR CASES FOR 1970, AND TWO CATEGORIES EACH FOR 1965 AND 1970 JUVENILE AND ADULT STATE-COMMITTED CASES. EACH GROUP ANALYZED INCLUDES FIVE COUNTIES: FOR ADULTS ALAMEDA, LOS ANGELES, SACRAMENTO, SAN DIEGO AND SAN FRANCISCO; FOR JUVENILES CONTRA COSTA REPLACES SAN FRANCISCO. THE SAMPLE AS A WHOLE INCLUDES MORE THAN HALF THE POPULATION OF THE STATE. ALL FOLLOW-UPS AVERAGE THREE YEARS EXCEPT THE LOS ANGELES JUVENILES WHICH AVERAGE TWO AND A HALF. STUDY FINDINGS SHOWED THAT CONSIDERING ALL THE CASES IN THE STUDY COUNTIES AS A GROUP, THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL MORE RECIDIVISM BY MOST MEASURES IN 1970 THAN IN 1965. ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT MUCH OF THIS INCREASE WAS DUE TO FACTORS OTHER THAN COMMITMENT REDUCTION, WITH THE GENERAL PICTURE BEING THAT OF A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM EXPERIENCING A PRONOUNCED INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF OFFENDERS PROCESSED AND PROCESSED AGAIN. BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WAY TO IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC CASES NOT COMMITTED, THERE WAS ALSO NO WAY TO MEASURE DIRECTLY THE PART OF THIS INCREASE IN RECIDIVISM ATTRIBUTABLE TO COMMITMENT REDUCTION. HOWEVER, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT UNDER ALL THE MOST LIKELY ASSUMPTIONS IT SEEMED THAT THE PROBATION SUBSIDY PROGRAMS HAD, IN THE SHORT RUN, BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF RECIDIVISM, GENERALLY NEVER MORE THAN A VERY SMALL FRACTION OF THE TOTAL. APPENDED MATERIALS INCLUDE A DISCUSSION OF THE STUDY METHODOLOGY. FOR THE OTHER VOLUMES TO THIS EVALUATION REPORT, SEE NCJ-035074-77 AND NCJ-036491. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)