NCJ Number
223802
Journal
Criminology and Public Policy Volume: 7 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2008 Pages: 275-302
Date Published
May 2008
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study examined evidence-based supervision of offenders in Maryland.
Abstract
The study found that offenders who were supervised in this new style were less likely to be rearrested and less likely to have a warrant issued for technical violations. Evidence-based supervision was said to be the newest in a long line of efforts to advance community corrections. The model uses a risk-need-responsivity concept where the agency uses a risk and need tool to identify appropriate treatment and control services and then assigns offenders to such services. It was noted that this new approach is underscored by the creation of a social learning environment that makes supervision officers active in facilitating offender change, with the goal to empower the offender. Maryland's Proactive Community Supervision (PCS) model was one of the first to implement this approach. Controlling for length of time on supervision and prior history, logistic regression results found that offenders who were supervised in this new style were less likely to be rearrested (30 percent for the PCS and 42 percent of the non-PCS sample) and less likely to have a warrant issued for technical violations (35 percent of the PCS group and 40 percent for the non-PCS group). The study findings also indicate that a behavioral management approach can increase the frequency of contacts and obtain positive offender outcomes. The work notes that the PCS model illustrates that supervision agencies can be transformed to achieve public safety goals through focusing on offender change strategies. The data was derived from samples for this study comprised of 274 of each group of PCS and non-PCS cases in the State of Maryland. Figure, tables, and references