Results from a Study of an Automated Appointment Reminder System for People on Probation

• In Event: Community Corrections in a Post-Pandemic World: Lessons Learned from COVID-19 and Innovations in Supervision

Abstract

Research shows that behavioral and physical health problems disproportionately affect criminal justice populations and can weigh heavily on their well-being and public safety if untreated. Unmet treatment need among probationers is commonly due to low treatment participation. One way to address this issue is through behavioral nudges. To this end, RTI International developed, implemented, and assessed through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) the use of the Interactive Computer-Assisted Recovery Enabler (ICARE) tool to improve treatment compliance among people on probation. ICARE is an automated appointment system that reminds people on probation to attend their behavioral health care management appointments. This work involved partnering with Uptrust, a software development company, to develop an appointment reminder system that is integrated into North Carolina’s Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities record management system. For this paper, we will briefly describe literature on the use of mobile phone behavioral nudges to improve treatment uptake, current project goals, findings, implications from the ICARE study’s RCT, and areas for future research.

Authors

• Samuel Scaggs, RTI International

• Pam Lattimore, RTI International

• Nicole Jasperson, RTI International

• Kim Janda, RTI International