Shock Incarceration and Positive Adjustment During Community Supervision: A Multi-Site Evaluation, Final Report

• NCJ Number: 150733
• Date Published: 1993
• Author(s): D L MacKenzie; R Brame
• Length: 367 pages
• Grant Number(s): 90-DD-CX-0061
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This study examined the extent to which offenders who emerged from shock incarceration programs in five States adjusted more positively to the daily requirements of living in the community than did offenders under other regimes (traditional probation, incarceration, or shock- incarceration-program dropouts).

Abstract

The States involved in the study were Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, and South Carolina. Data were collected on demographic and offender characteristics, along with indicators that measured community supervision intensity. Positive-adjustment variables included employment patterns, residence stability, financial stability, participation in self-improvement programs, no illegal activities, and no critical incidents. The findings show that there is little basis for concluding that offenders that emerge from any of the shock incarceration programs will adjust any better or worse than offenders from other correctional programs. Data also show that no matter what type of program is used, the intensity with which an offender is supervised in the community is a critical success factor. 105 figures and 99 tables