CASE STUDY

Reducing Revocations Challenge

LOCATION

Nationwide

ACTIVE

2014-present

We’re transforming America’s approach to probation by helping jurisdictions explore the drivers of unsuccessful exits from probation in their local justice systems and implement new solutions.

Challenge:

The growing consensus among practitioners, policymakers, and the public is that far too many people are under correctional control in the United States. Consider: In 1980, 1.8 million adults were in prison, jail, or under community supervision; by year-end 2023, that number had grown to over 5.5 million. While many large-scale initiatives have targeted the reduction of jail and prison populations, there remains a significant gap in reform related to community supervision. Currently, one in 73 adults is under supervision, representing two times the size of the jail and prison population combined.

Community supervision was designed as an incarceration alternative, yet revocation rates among people on probation are alarmingly high, with revocations from probation alone driving almost one in four jail and prison admissions. To counter these trends, evidence-based supervision strategies—such as risk- and needs-based supervision and graduated responses—have emerged. Yet we’ve historically had limited knowledge regarding the significant factors, circumstances, and behaviors that drive revocations to jail or prison. This knowledge is needed to reduce revocations and encourage successful outcomes without over-punishing less harmful behavior.

Approach:

To fill these critical knowledge gaps and support fundamental transformation of the approach to probation, in 2019 we partnered with Arnold Ventures to launch the Reducing Revocations Challenge (RRC). Phase I of the Challenge supported action research in 10 jurisdictions across the country to explore in-depth the drivers of unsuccessful exits from probation and to use that information to identify new policy and practice solutions. This research was undertaken by each site’s Action Research Team (ART), composed of a research organization and a local probation agency. Phase II of the Challenge supported planning and implementation of the solutions they had identified in four sites.

Progress:

Throughout the RRC, we oversaw the ARTs and provided technical assistance and support, as well as facilitating peer learning events including a 2021 cross-site summit to share findings and discuss policy and practice implications as well as a 2023 community supervision summit looking at lessons from a broader range of projects and jurisdictions. At the end of Phase I, the ARTs released research reports laying out the drivers they identified and how they might be addressed.

Cook County, IL: Loyola University and the Cook County Adult Probation Department

Denver, CO: University of Wyoming and Denver Adult Probation

Harris County, TX: Justice System Partners and the Harris County Community Supervision & Corrections Department

Monroe County, IN: Indiana University and the Monroe Circuit Court Probation Department

Niagara County, NY: Niagara University and the Niagara County Probation Department

Pima County, AZ: Urban Institute and the Adult Probation Department of the Superior Court in Pima County

Pulaski County, AR: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Community Corrections

Ramsey County, MN: Robina Institute and Ramsey County Community Corrections

Santa Cruz County, CA: Resource Development Associates and the Santa Cruz County Probation Department

Spokane County, WA: ideas42 and the Spokane Municipal Probation Department

An overview of the findings across the sites is described in the research brief Pathways to Success on Probation: Findings from the First Phase of the Reducing Revocations Challenge.

In fall 2021, four counties—Monroe, Pima, Ramsey, and Santa Cru z—were selected to begin implementing site-specific strategies following the Action Research Teams’ recommendations. All four sites incorporated efforts towards internal culture change and used collaborative, multi-stakeholder approaches to establish new policies and practices, with considerable overlap in the drivers of revocations targeted, strategy components, and implementation methods. The process and progress of probation reform across sites is documented in the 2024 report From Research Action to Success ful Outcomes and brief, Action Research as a Model for Change, capturing the innovative researcher-practitioner partnership used in this process.

For more information on the Reducing Revocations Challenge, please contact Victoria Lawson, Research Project Director, at Victoria.Lawson@islg.cuny.edu.