NCJ Number
202845
Date Published
November 2002
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This report offers data about recidivism among offenders in all segments of Colorado’s probation population, including pre-release and post-release recidivism.
Abstract
Probation programs are designed to help offenders remain crime free. As such, recidivism rates among probationers are a good measure of whether probation programs are effective. At the close of June 2002, there were 51,360 offenders on probation in Colorado. The 2002 recidivism study examined those probationers terminated from probation during the 2001 fiscal year to allow for a full year of post-release follow-up. Out of a total of 5,619 juvenile probationers and 15,487 adult probationers who were terminated from probation in 2001, 75.6 percent of the juvenile offenders and 70.4 percent of the adult offenders were successfully terminated at the close of their sentence. However, 5.2 percent of the juvenile offenders and 4.3 percent of the adult offenders were terminated from probation for committing a new crime. Within the year following probation termination, 19.5 percent of the juvenile offenders and 11.3 percent of the adult offenders had new criminal charges filed against them. Data are also offered about recidivism by supervision level and by probation program type. Higher rates of failure were found among probationers classified at the maximum supervision level, as would be expected. The findings show that Colorado’s probation programs are successful in helping offenders remain crime free during periods of supervision. Tables, bibliography