NCJ Number
134838
Journal
Perspectives Volume: 16 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1992) Pages: 38-42
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study focuses on the problem of technical parole violators (PV-RTCs) in California; PV-RTCs are defined as parolees who have violated the conditions of their release and have been ordered to return to prison.
Abstract
In 1989, nearly 40,000 PV-RTCs were returned to custody in California, accounting for almost half the inmates received at California Department of Corrections facilities that year. Current guidelines allow for technical violations even when no actual criminal activity has occurred. The other 49 States violated and reincarcerated fewer PV-RTCs combined than the State of California. The authors estimate it costs $24,000 per year to house an inmate in California and there are other, hidden costs to returning parole violators to prison. These authors recommend that California eliminate or minimize the supervision/violation function of parole in favor of providing rehabilitation services, reallocate monies to fund a continuum of community-based programs, develop a Parole Assistance Project for parolees facing violation hearings, and increase the use of pre-release programming and early release incentives. 1 table, 2 figures, and 13 notes