The Effects of Increased Access to Community Programs on Parole: Lessons From New Jersey

• In Event: Risk-Needs-Responsivity Concerns in Community Corrections

Abstract

As the United States reached historical highs in incarceration rates, offender reentry, the natural byproduct of incarceration, has become an important focus of criminal justice policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. Reducing recidivism for returning offenders remains a significant issue, with over 75% of offenders being re-arrested within five years of release according to the most recent BJS report. Increasingly community corrections, including parole supervision, is expected to manage offender risk and address criminogenic needs following release from prison. Traditionally, parole supervision relied on offender risk management, focusing on public safety through supervision, but currently, under this model, about 33% of parolees are still returned to prison for both technical violations and new convictions. Parole supervision with a focus on increasing access to community services and programming, however, have been shown to reduce recidivism more than surveillance models alone. Using three-year follow-up data from almost 5,000 offenders released to parole in New Jersey in 2011, the effect of community programs on recidivism during the parole supervision period was assessed. Parolees who participated in community programs were compared to parolees who did not participate in community programs on criminal justice outcomes, including re-arrest, re-conviction, revocation, and return to prison.

Authors

• Bonita Veysey, Rutgers University

• Bryn Herrschaft, Temple University