Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice current issue

Innovation in Community Corrections and Probation Officers' Fears of Being Sued: Implementing Neighborhood-Based Supervision in Spokane, Washington

Drapela, L. A., Lutze, F. E. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

Probation departments are emphasizing a greater level of community interaction between officers and ordinary citizens as an integral part of effective offender supervision. This trend is due in part to the prisoner reentry correctional paradigm, which conceptualizes probation officers as relationship brokers between offenders and their employers, family members, and community stakeholders. Field probation officers are a critical part of implementing this community-oriented approach. Few scholars, however, have evaluated probation departments’ organizational capacities to implement this change in light of the legal vulnerabilities to torts faced by these officers. We use in-depth interview data from a sample of field probation officers in eastern Washington State to understand how probation officers’ concerns about being sued and their trust in the organization may affect its capacity to innovate. The theoretical and policy implications of our findings are discussed.

Chaos Theory and Correctional Treatment: Common Sense, Correctional Quackery, and the Law of Fartcatchers

Gendreau, P., Smith, P., Theriault, Y. L. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

Despite a substantial empirical literature on what works in offender treatment, programs based on common sense dominate the corrections landscape. We explain how commonsense approaches have led to correctional quackery (CQ) and draw on chaos theory to show that there is actually an underlying order to what appears to be a literature in complete disorder. Specifically, it is proposed that the law of fartcatchers can account for a significant amount of the CQ that occurs in corrections. A brief history of the conditions that led to the development of the law is provided, and we trace how it has evolved over time. Finally, the long-term viability of the law and whether its influence can be mitigated is discussed.

The Giant That Never Woke: Parole Authorities as the Lynchpin to Evidence-Based Practices and Prisoner Reentry

Paparozzi, M. A., Guy, R. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

This article argues that discretionary parole is the lynchpin to improved correctional practice. Calls to abolish discretionary parole have failed to consider its potential to steer correctional agendas toward sustainable evidence-based practices (EBPs) and effective reentry/transitional services. The history of corrections and parole is marked by tension between the goals of warehousing and correcting prisoners. Notwithstanding a growing body of impressive research that clarifies the importance of the implementation of EBPs to recidivism reduction, their ubiquitous implementation has been impeded by structural flaws within correctional organizations. Moreover, corrections practitioners and scholars have not addressed issues related to the professional competency of discretionary parole authorities as well as their potential to serve as a protective organizational factor that promotes offender rehabilitation and reintegration.

The Organizational Politics of Implementing Risk Assessment Instruments in Community Corrections

Schlager, M. D. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

Much talk has surrounded the use of risk assessment in community corrections. Community corrections agencies continue to struggle with what risk instrument to adopt and how to implement it in a comprehensive way. One of the most important factors that impedes the successful implementation of risk assessment instruments is organizational politics. This essay evaluates some of the organizational politics that inhibit the successful implementation of risk assessment instruments and highlights several factors that can mitigate this effect.

Discretionary Decision Making by Probation and Parole Officers: The Role of Extralegal Variables as Predictors of Responses to Technical Violations

Kerbs, J. J., Jones, M., Jolley, J. M. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

This study examines the predictors of discretionary decisions made by probation and parole officers (PPOs) when they face clients who commit technical rule violations during community supervision. Although prior studies of discretionary decisions in criminal justice systems typically focus on legal predictors of discretion (i.e., offense- and offender-based variables), this study examines extralegal predictors to include PPOs’ sociodemographical, occupational, and organizational characteristics. The study uses data collected from a national self-report survey of 332 PPOs who worked with adults and who were members of the American Probation and Parole Association in 2005. Logistic regression analyses examine extralegal predictors of PPO support for formal hearings (i.e., judicial or parole board hearings) in response to technical rule violations. Analyses identify significant occupational and organizational factors that predicted discretionary decisions. Policy implications and directions for future research are examined.

Applying Evidence-Based Practices to Community Corrections Supervision: An Evaluation of Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for High-Risk Probationers

Perez, D. M. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of residential substance abuse treatment in reducing recidivism among high-risk offenders. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to match 82 probationers who participated in residential drug treatment program to 82 probationers with similar demographics and criminal history who did not attend treatment. The findings revealed that residential substance abuse treatment had no statistically significant effect on several dichotomous measures of recidivism but that treatment participation substantially reduced the amount of criminal activity in which offenders engaged in during the 18-month follow-up period. Furthermore, among those arrested, the treatment group was more likely to be charged with a probation violation, whereas controls were substantially more likely to be arrested for a new criminal offense. The results serve as the foundation for future examinations into the efficacy of residential drug treatment for high-risk offenders under community supervision.

Gender and the Predictive Validity of the LSI-R: A Study of Parolees and Probationers

Vose, B., Lowenkamp, C. T., Smith, P., Cullen, F. T. — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:53:41 PDT

The Level of Service Inventory—Revised (LSI-R) is a classification instrument used to identify the risks and needs of offenders. Originally validated for use with male offenders, some scholars have questioned the instrument’s suitability for use with female offenders. The current study attempts to contribute to the discussion on gender and the predictive validity of the LSI-R. A sample of 2,849 probationers and parolees were administered the LSI-R at two points in time. This design allows for the analysis of the instrument’s predictive validity at Time 1 and Time 2, and of the impact that changes in LSI-R scores may have on rates of recidivism. The results suggest that the LSI-R is a valid instrument for predicting recidivism with male and female offenders and thus should be viewed as a useful resource for practitioners engaged in correctional treatment.