Reducing criminal recidivism with an enhanced day reporting center for probationers with mental illness

ABSTRACT

Offenders with mental illness (OMI) represent a significant portion of the community corrections population (e.g., probation, parole) for whom innovative interventions that target criminal recidivism must be assessed. This retrospective, quasi-experimental study compared recidivism outcomes of OMI probationers discharged from an enhanced day reporting center (DRC) with a comparable sample of probationers matched by propensity score (N = 227). Cox proportional hazard regressions demonstrated that participants of the DRC were significantly less likely to be reconvicted after discharge from the program, 2(2, N = 227) = 5.9, p = .02. Furthermore, DRC completers demonstrated a 40% reduction in risk of reconviction postdischarge compared to the matched sample.

KEYWORDS:

• Community corrections
• day reporting centers
• mental illness
• probationers
• recidivism

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dana Ashby, Gregory Bivens and the staff at CREST and The Connection Inc.; Charles Barber, Director of The Connection Institute for Innovative Practice; Brian Hill and Bryan Sperry of the Court Support Services Division of the State of Connecticut and Taylor Scarpone, University of New Haven undergraduate student, for their assistance in data collection.

Notes

Supplemental analyses were also conducted without these 22 individuals as their program discharge status suggests, but arrest histories cannot confirm, that they were in custody for some part of their follow-up period. The core results were the same as those of the full sample with the exception that the matched sample of DRC completers was significantly less likely to felony recidivate as compared to the comparison group of probationers. For additional information, please contact the first author.