Evaluating the Effectiveness of Alternative to Incarceration Programming for Misdemeanor Defendants in Bronx, NY

• In Event: Evaluating Crime Control Strategies

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of an impact evaluation of Bronx Community Solutions (BCS), an alternatives to incarceration (ATI) program for misdemeanor defendants located within the centralized criminal court, Bronx NY. Bronx ATI programming often consist of short-term interventions (average length 2 – 6 days) where the participant is placed into community service programming, group psychoeducation classes, or individual counseling sessions. The analysis draws on a sample of BCS participants from 2014 (n=6,745) and a matched sample of similar defendants who were not mandated to BCS (n=6,745). Using propensity score modeling to adjust for baseline differences between the groups, the current study analyzes case processing times, disposition and sentencing outcomes, and recidivism (re-arrest and re-conviction). Notably, BCS participants are less likely to receive jail sentences (1.3% compared with 33% of the comparison group), but more likely to experience a misdemeanor re-arrest after one year and two years. BCS participants are significantly less likely, however, to experience felony and violent felony rearrests than the comparison group. The findings indicate that alternative to incarceration programming in a large, centralized courthouse can reduce reliance on jail, but that short-term interventions may not be enough to impact criminogenic factors and prevent future criminal behavior.

Authors

• Becca Cadoff, Center for Court Innovation

• Tia Pooler, Center for Court Innovation