Action research is a form of inquiry that emphasizes collaboration between researchers and practitioners to solve real-world problems. CUNY ISLG intentionally chose this model for probation reform to maximize the relevance and applicability of Reducing Revocations Challenge research to conditions on the ground, and ensure practical solutions that could drive real change.

The RRC is a national initiative that aims to increase success on probation through the identification, piloting, and testing of promising strategies grounded in a robust analysis and understanding of why revocations occur.

As part of their work to fill the gaps in data regarding probation revocations, ISLG, in partnership with Arnold Ventures, is excited to announce both the launch of the second phase of the Reducing Revocations Challenge and the release of the research brief that informs it, Pathways to Success on Probation: Lessons Learned from the First Phase of the Reducing Revocations Challenge.

Nearly 25% of prison admissions are due to technical violations of probation/parole—often due to minor offenses such as missed curfews, or failed drug tests. To change this, 10 jurisdictions across the country have been working to understand what drives probation revocations and potential solutions to reduce them.

With support from Arnold Ventures we announced the selection of 10 jurisdictions to participate in the Reducing Revocations Challenge, a national initiative dedicated to transforming probation supervision and reducing the number of unnecessary failures. The Challenge was launched in response to the growing recognition that those failures are a major contributor to mass incarceration, responsible for almost half of state prison admissions nationwide, and need urgent reform.

The Reducing Revocations Challenge was announced as a national initiative dedicated to transforming probation supervision and reducing unnecessary failures that contribute to mass incarceration. The Challenge will address these issues by supporting action research in up to 10 jurisdictions around the country to better understand why revocations occur and how they can be prevented, with the goal of informing specific policy and practice interventions that can be piloted and tested in a potential second phase of the initiative.