Sponsors: National Institute of JusticeAbt Associates, Inc.
During this era, the number of probation and parole revocations and ascendance in several states was rising sharply; and revocations comprised a large and growing proportion of prison admissions. At the same time, practitioners noted that many revokees were released very quickly, particularly in states where courts imposed prison population caps. Practitioners complained that these quick releases undermined their ability to encourage compliance with conditions of supervision.
In 1990, the National Institute of Justice initiated a study of the problem and a description of state responses. Abt Associates conducted the early stages of the inquiry, and then contracted with the Center to assist in the conduct of more in-depth interviews with officials in a small number of jurisdictions that have implemented particularly interesting policy responses to revocations and abscondings. The study included a literature review, initial round of telephone interviews, input from advisors, follow-up telephone interviews, selected site visits, and a compilation of findings. The Center conducted on-site interviews, extensive telephone interviews, prepared jurisdictional databases, synthesized findings from those data, identified emerging trends and major issues for future inquiry, and drafted major components of the final report.