Fewer people on probation/parole and more public safety

How can we have fewer people under supervision and more public safety?

Well, for one thing, research has shown that supervising people who present a low risk of re-arrest actually makes them more likely to get re-arrested. In part this is because heavy-handed supervision can jeopardize jobs, and reporting in at probation offices means contact with clients who have more serious criminal records. And in part it is because if you watch almost anyone more closely, you can find excuses to re-arrest them.

That is why almost as many people go to prison every year for violating conditions of probation and parole, like missing appointments or failing a drug test, as for new crimes, reported the Marshall Project.

A new report produced under the auspices of the Program in Criminal Justice Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and a “Statement on the Future of Community Corrections” to be issued Monday at a press conference in New York by the nation’s leading probation and parole officials. They explain how we can both reduce the number of people under supervision and make our communities safer.

To read more CLICK HERE