NCJ Number
111879
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 50 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1986) Pages: 17-25
Date Published
1986
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This replication of a Rand study of recidivism tracked 317 convicted Kentucky felons who were placed on probation in 1982 and followed for up to 36 months.
Abstract
Overall, about 22 percent of felony probationers were rearrested. Of those, 80 percent were convicted. Almost 66 percent of the convicted probationers were sent to prison for a new offense, and an additional 2 percent were sent to jail. About 7 percent of all probationers were reincarcerated for a technical violation. Among recidivists (excluding technical violators), misdemeanors and property felonies accounted for about 70 percent of both rearrests and reconvictions. Offenders initially convicted of a property crime were most likely to be charged with a new crime while on probation. The median time to recidivism was 375 days for property felony probationers and 598 days for violent felony probationers. For property probationers, recidivism peaked during the first 6 months of probation and then declined over time, while that of violent probationers peaked in the first year, leveled off, and then increased. Comparison of these findings with those of the Rand study indicates a close correspondence in prison reincarceration rates (22 percent in the Rand sample and 18.6 percent in the Kentucky sample). Results suggest that felony probation supervision is relatively effective in limiting recidivism. 7 tables and 29 references.