NCJ Number
238984
Journal
Crime and Justice Bulletin Issue: 150 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 1-8
Date Published
May 2011
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research estimated the impact of a 10-percent increase in arrests on the number of offenders sentenced to full-time prison terms and those sentenced to community-based supervised orders.
Abstract
Results from this study include the following: a 10-percent increase in police arrests resulted in a 2.3 percent increase in the number of offenders receiving community-based supervised orders (SOs) 1 month later; a 10-percent increase in the number of male arrests produced an immediate (same month) 3.3-percent increase in the number of full-time prison (FTP) terms for male offenders; a 10-percent increase in female arrests produced a 4.6-percent increase in FTP terms for female offenders 1 month later; and in the short-run, the 10-percent increase in police arrests increased costs by $23.5 million, with SOs and male FTPs costs increasing by $2.6 million and $18.7 million over 11 months, respectively, and female FTPs costs increasing by $2.2 million over 8 months. This study from the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research estimated the impact of a 10-percent increase in arrests on the number of offenders sentenced to FTP terms and SOs. The intent of the study was to determine the impact that an increase in arrest rates would have on the correctional workload. The study used data on arrests and sentences collected over 153 months from January 1998 to September 2010. Analyses of the data indicate that in the short run, an increase in arrests can have a significant impact on correctional workloads and correctional costs. Implications for policy are discussed. Tables, references, and appendix