The Monetary Benefits and Costs of Community Supervision

Abstract

In 2014, nearly 5 million people were supervised in the community on probation or parole; yet, little research evidence exists indicating whether supervision is a cost-effective strategy to reduce recidivism. Using a meta-analytic framework, this article presents findings from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) on the cost-effectiveness of four community supervision strategies including intensive supervision programs both with and without a focus on treatment, supervision with risk–need–responsivity training for officers, and swift, certain, and fair supervision policies to address violation behavior. Results from the systematic review of the rigorous research evidence indicates that three of the four supervision strategies are effective at reducing recidivism and produce long-term financial benefits that outweigh the costs with a high degree of certainty. The implications of these findings are discussed as well as suggestions for future research.