NCJ Number
148329
Journal
Federal Probation Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1994) Pages: 9-12
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Day reporting centers are discussed.
Abstract
This article evaluates the intermediate sanction known as day reporting which originated in Great Britain in the early 1970s. Day reporting is defined as a highly structured nonresidential program utilizing supervision, sanctions, and services coordinated from a central focus. Day reporting offers the punishment of confinement combined with the rehabilitative effects of allowing the offender to continue employment and receive treatment. The experience with day reporting in Orange County, Florida, is discussed. Although it is too early to know the long-term effects day reporting will have on the offenders who have participated in the program in Orange County, preliminary statistics demonstrate that the program is meeting its goal to offer cost-effective treatment and reintegration into the community for selected offenders without endangering the community. Recommendations concerning future research regarding day reporting include the advice that not just program success rates be considered, but also how day reporting centers compare with incarceration in accomplishing treatment goals and in cost- efficiency. Another important measure of success that merits future study is the recidivism of former participants. Until recidivism is studied more comprehensively, cost- effectiveness and protection of the community can be used to analyze the success of day reporting. In assessing cost- effectiveness, the cost of day reporting centers should be compared to the cost of incarceration. References