The Effects of Sanction Intensity on Criminal Conduct - JDAI Helpdesk

CHAPTER 1. Is ‘More’ Really ‘Better’? <strong>The</strong> Impact <strong>of</strong> Intensive
Probation Supervision on Recidivism.
Introduction
Probation is one <strong>of</strong> the most frequently-used criminal sanctions in the United
States (American Correctional Association, 2006). At the end <strong>of</strong> 2008, nearly 5.1 million
adults were on probation alone – 84 per cent <strong>of</strong> all adults under community supervision.
In all, one in forty-five U.S. adults is on probation or parole. 1
Although growth slowed
slightly in 2008, the population under community supervision has been steadily rising for
some time, increasing by more than half a million between 2000 and 2008 (Glaze &
Bonczar, 2009).
Despite the extent <strong>of</strong> its use, probation has suffered from image problems,
particularly a public perception that it is a ‘s<strong>of</strong>t’ approach to crime for <strong>of</strong>ten serious
<strong>of</strong>fenders who are highly likely to recidivate. 2
Subsequently, many probation agencies
have struggled to access sufficient funding (Petersilia, 1997). This highlights a clear
need for probation agencies to identify supervision practices that are effective at reducing
recidivism, and at the same time represent an efficient use <strong>of</strong> scarce resources. Taxman
(2002) notes that considerable research has been dedicated to programming and services
that are <strong>of</strong>ten provided in conjunction with or on referral from probation, such as
cognitive-behavioral therapy, drug courts, and skill-building programs (see also
MacKenzie, 2006a; 2006b). Yet comparatively little attention has been paid to the
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