NCJ Number
66443
Date Published
1979
Length
28 pages
Annotation
CALIFORNIA'S M-2 PROGRAM, WHICH MATCHES VISITORS FROM THE COMMUNITY WITH PRISON INMATES, RESULTS IN COST BENEFITS AND LOWER RECIDIVISM FOR INMATES INVOLVED; BASE EXPECTANCY ANALYSIS FOR M-2 RECIDIVISM IS INCLUDED.
Abstract
M-2, BEGUN IN 1971, IS VOLUNTARY FOR INMATES; PRISONERS WITH FEW OR NO OUTSIDE CONTACTS ARE GIVEN PREFERENCE, HOWEVER. M-2 AIMS TO PROVIDE INMATES WITH CARING RELATIONSHIP AND JOB-FINDING ASSISTANCE, THE EX-OFFENDER IS ENCOURAGED TO DEVELOP INTO A GOOD CITIZEN. VISITORS, CALLED SPONSORS, MAY VISIT THEIR INMATES ONE OR MORE TIMES A MONTH; FROM 1971-1979 OVER 12,000 INMATES WERE MATCHED WITH MORE THAN 9,000 CITIZENS. SINCE MOST MAJOR CRIMES ARE COMMITTED BY EX-OFFENDERS, THE FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS OF M-2 DERIVE FROM REDUCTIONS IN RECIDIVISM. HOWEVER, M-2 ALSO REDUCES PARTICIPATING PRISONERS' ALIENATION AND PRISON CUSTODY PROBLEMS, MOTIVATES PRISONERS, AND EDUCATES THE PUBLIC. SEVERAL STUDIES OF M-2 SHOW THAT M-2 SPONSORED INMATES EVIDENCE A 10 PERCENT OR HIGHER PAROLE SUCCESS 24 MONTHS AFTER PAROLE THAN GROUPS OF NON-PARTICIPATING INMATES. FURTHER, M-2 INMATES' PAROLE SUCCESS VARIES DIRECTLY WITH NUMBER OF TIMES PER MONTH THEY WERE VISITED IN PRISON BY SPONSORS. FINALLY, EVALUATING M-2 BY THE BASE EXPECTANCY METHOD, OR COMPARING AN M-2 OFFENDER'S EXPECTED RECIDIVISM WITH HIS ACTUAL RECIDIVISM, SHOWS THAT M-2 EXOFFENDERS DO 8 TO 22 PERCENT BETTER THAN NON-M-2 EX-OFFENDERS. ALTHOUGH IT IS CLAIMED THAT M-2 OFFENDERS ARE MORE SUCCESSFUL ON PAROLE BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER MOTIVATED IN GENERAL, M-2 INMATE VOLUNTEERS ARE NOT SCREENED, OFTEN HAVE PRIOR COMMITMENTS, AND ARE FREQUENTLY THE LEAST MOTIVATED IN PRISON POPULATIONS. TABULAR INFORMATION IS INCLUDED.