Intensive Supervision Programs and Recidivism: How Michigan Successfully Targets High-Risk Offenders

• In Event: Evidence-Based Community Corrections

Abstract

It is widely acknowledged that over the last several decades, the number of individuals under the jurisdiction of the United States’ criminal justice system has grown exponentially. Demands for fiscal reform and improved recidivism outcomes have been championed by criminal justice practitioners, politicians, and the general-public alike. One response to the call for reform was the development of intensive supervision programs for high-risk individuals that involve the imposition of swift sanctions in response to noncompliance. The present study is a quasi-experimental study of one such program, Swift and Sure Sanctions Probation Program (SSSPP), within the state of Michigan. Using propensity score matching and logistic regression, we found that SSSPP participants had lower recidivism rates than individuals sentenced to probation-as-usual (comparison group). Policy implications and suggestions for future research are offered.

Authors

• Kristen DeVall, UNCW

• Christina Lanier, University of North Carolina Wilmington