Exploring the Impact of Supervision on Pretrial Outcomes

This study seeks to investigate the effect of pretrial supervision on the likelihood of failure to appear (FTA) and new criminal activity (NCA) before case disposition. First, drawing on data from two states, this research isolates two groups of defendants: those released pending case disposition with supervision and those released without supervision. Second, this research compares the two groups across several descriptive factors regarding likelihood of FTA and NCA while in the community pending case disposition

Investigating the Impact of Pretrial Detention on Sentencing Outcomes

This study investigates the impact of pretrial detention on sentencing outcomes for both misdemeanors and felonies

The Hidden Costs of Pretrial Detention

This study investigates the correlation of pretrial detention with 1) pretrial outcomes (failure to appear and arrest for new criminal activity); and 2) post-disposition recidivism (new criminal activity post-disposition)

A Quasi Experimental Evaluation of Thinking for a Change: A Real-World Application

Due to the popularity of cognitive behavioral interventions, programs that follow this model are often assumed to be effective. Yet evaluations of specific programs have been slow in coming. The current investigation seeks to bridge this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of Thinking for a Change (TFAC), a widely used cognitive behavioral curriculum for offenders. Furthermore, this evaluation provides a “real-world” test of TFAC, because it was implemented by line staff in a community corrections agency as opposed to being a pilot project implemented by program developers. The results of the analyses indicate that offenders participating in the TFAC program had a significantly lower recidivism rate than similar offenders that were not exposed to the program

against using the PCRA to inform front-end sentencing decisions or back-end decisions about release without first conducting research on its use in these contexts, given that the PCRA was not designed for those purposes

Abstract One way to unwind mass incarceration without compromising public safety is to use risk assessment instruments in sentencing and corrections. These instruments figure prominently in current reforms, but controversy has begun to swirl around their use. The principal concern is that benefits in crime control will be offset by costs in social justice-a disparate and adverse effect on racial minorities and the poor. Based on a sample of 34,794 federal offenders, we empirically examine the relationships among race (Black vs. White), actuarial risk assessment (the Post Conviction Risk Assessment [PCRA]), and re-arrest (for any/violent crime). First, application of well-established principles of psychological science revealed no real evidence of test bias for the PCRA-the instrument strongly predicts re-arrest for both Black and White offenders and a given score has essentially the same meaning--i.e., same probability of recidivism-across groups. Second, Black offenders obtain modestly higher average scores on the PCRA than White offenders (d= .43; appx. 27% non-overlap in groups' scores). So some applications of the PCRA could create disparate impact-which is defined by moral rather than empirical criteria. Third, most (69%) of the racial difference in PCRA scores is attributable to criminal history-which strongly predicts recidivism for both groups and is embedded in sentencing guidelines. Finally, criminal history is not a proxy for race-instead, it fully mediates the otherwise weak relationship between race and re-arrest. Data may be more helpful than rhetoric, if the goal is to improve practice at this opportune moment in history

Evaluation of Ohio's Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to the Incarceration of Minors funded programs, community corrections facilities, and Department of Youth Services facilities

Title from p. [1] of PDF document (viewed Nov. 17, 2005).; "August 17, 2005."; Includes bibliographical references (p. 45).; Harvested from the web on 11/17/0

Project Narrative

This provides an overview of the project, an overview of the approach to the project and deliverables

A Replication of Novel Pretrial Research

The proposed study endeavors to replicate, expand, and extend prior research in the areas of pretrial risk assessment, tests for bias in risk assessment, and the effects of pretrial detention. All the research activities detailed below will be based on a very large dataset from the state of Kentucky. Specifically, several standard data elements that were collected from all arrests that occurred between July 1, 2013 and June 30, 2018 will be analyzed in order to meet several objectives. Once constructed the data file will allow for the largest and most rigorous test of the predictive validity of the Public Safety Assessment (PSA). The predictive validity of the PSA has been demonstrated in prior research, however the field of pretrial risk assessment is in need of replication, particularly in light of how new the instrument is. Further, the vast majority of the extant tests of pretrial risk assessments define “new criminal activity” during the pretrial period very generally, without taking offense severity or type into account. The size of the dataset used for the proposed study will allow for offense-specific tests of validity, an area of inquiry that is currently lacking in empirical research. Likewise, the data will allow for tests of bias, in order to determine whether categories of race and/or sex are over or under classified regarding their prescribed risk category. In addition, the proposed study will provide a replication of prior studies that have attempted to examine what effect pretrial detention has on the likelihood of failure to appear for court and new criminal activity. This line of inquiry will be greatly enhanced by the ability to calculate the actual amount of time (e.g., hours) in jail (a level of precision that was absent in prior research)