INCARCERATION VERSUS PROBATION - COST COMPARISONS (FROM AMERICAN CORRECTIONAL ASSOCIATION - ANNUAL CONGRESS OF CORRECTION, 104TH - PROCEEDINGS - HOUSTON, TEXAS, AUGUST 18-22, 1974, 1975 - SEE NCJ-30907)

• NCJ Number: 30910
• Author(s): R L FRAZIER
• Date Published: 1975
• Length: 10 pages
• Corporate Author: American Correctional Association
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON A COST MODELING TECHNIQUE THAT ALLOWS EXPERIMENTATION WITH DIFFERENT SITUATIONS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE OPTIMUM LEVEL OF EFFORT, COST WISE, OF PROBATION IN RELATION TO INCARCERATION.

Abstract

DATA ON THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS WAS COLLECTED FOR THE YEAR ENDING IN 1971 IN ORDER TO ALLOW CONSLUSIONS BASED ON ACTUAL CHANGES IN THE SYSTEM. COST DATA WAS BASED ON 'COST TO THE TAXPAYER' AS OPPOSED TO REPORTED BUDGET INFORMATION, AND THE PROBATION COST WAS DETERMINED BASED ON A 'MODEL' PROBATION SYSTEM HAVING ONLY PROVISION FOR BASIC SUPERVISION OF AN ACTIVE CASELOAD OF ADULT FELONS. THE COST OF INCARCERATION IN THE STATE PRISON SYSTEM WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE DISTINCT AREAS - THE INTERNAL COST OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, THE FUNDS EXPENDED BY OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES FOR DIRECT SUPPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND THE INDIRECT COST BASED ON LOSS OF THE BREADWINNER. WHEN COMPUTED, THIS CAME TO A COST PER MAN PER DAY OF FIVE DOLLARS AND NINETY-SEVEN CENTS. THE PROBATION COST MODEL WAS BASED ON A COUNTY OPERATED SYSTEM AND INCLUDED THE SELECTION OF A STANDARD RATIO OF OFFICERS TO PROBATIONERS, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A BALANCED STAFFING PATTERN, AND THE COST OF EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, AND BENEFITS. AN INCOME FACTOR WAS BASED ON THE PROJECTION THAT EACH PROBATIONER WOULD PAY TEN DOLLARS PER MONTH FOR SUPERVISION BUT THAT ONLY 65 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE AMOUNT WOULD BE COLLECTED. THE AVERAGE COST PER DAY WAS CALCULATED AT 75 CENTS OR A DIFFERENCE IN COST PER MAN PER DAY OF FIVE DOLLARS AND 22 CENTS BELOW INCARCERATION.