Philadelphia Low-Intensity Community Supervision Experiment
Solution types
Sentence Supervision
Problems addressed
Recidivism
Crime and delinquency (multiple types)
Effectiveness

Promising

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Promising

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Life periods served
Adults (18 to 59 years)
Where the program was applied
Community (streets or community centers)
Country of application
United States
Description

This is an experiment conducted to examine the effects of reducing the intensity of community supervision of low-risk offenders.
Offenders received a significantly reduced level of supervision compared to the standard regional supervision model. The treatment protocol was designed for each probation officer to receive and maintain a caseload of approximately 400 offenders.
Supervision protocols consisted of officer reporting, phone calls, drug testing, and - in the event of loss of contact - warrants.

Impact evaluations

An impact evaluation showed that the program had no statistically significant effect on the behavior of low-risk offenders in any criminal category, on the frequency and prevalence of one or more criminal charges, nor or on the time to recidivism [1].

Bibliographic reference

[1] Barnes, G. C., Ahlman, L., Gill, C., Sherman, L. W., Kurtz, E. & Malvestuto, R. (2010). Low-intensity community supervision for low-risk offenders: A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 6(2), 159–189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-010-9094-4

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