Assumption-Based Practices: Questioning the Revocation of Technical Violators

• In Event: Programs and Issues Influencing Probation Outcomes

Abstract

Correctional practice and policy has widely shifted from the age of mass incarceration to one of mass supervision. Given that revoked technical violators have long been a considerable portion of prison admissions, the need to deal with them efficiently and effectively has become increasingly important. However, current parole practices continue to operate on the basic assumption that returning the violator to confinement will somehow prevent further offending. Additionally, revocation and its associated assumptions are only loosely based on empirical evidence. Few studies exist to date that focus on the multifaceted impact of revocations on recidivism. Such literature often does not differentiate technical violations from new crime, leaving noncriminal revocations widely ignored. The current study will fill this gap by exploring the application, utility, and effectiveness of revocation practices as per the underlying assumptions of reducing recidivism. Using mixed methods involving revocation reports by community corrections officers, as well as a quasi-experimental design by way of propensity score matching, this study seeks to investigate the overall worth of using confinement as a punishment to noncriminal technical violators.

Author

• Christopher M. Campbell, Washington State University