BAY AREA (CA) PAROLE STUDY - PRELIMINARY REPORT - A COMPARISON OF THE VIOLATIONAL RECORDS OF TWO GROUPS - ONE DISCHARGED EARLY FROM PAROLE AND THE OTHER CONTINUED ON REGULAR SUPERVISION

• NCJ Number: 58920
• Author(s): P G JACKSON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 38 pages
• Corporate Author: California Dept of the Youth Authority
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; California Dept of the Youth Authority
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE RECIDIVISM RECORDS OF TWO GROUPS OF CALIFORNIA PAROLEES ARE EXAMINED; ONE GROUP WAS DISCHARGED EARLY FROM PAROLE AND THE SECOND CONTINUED WITH REGULAR SUPERVISION.

Abstract

THE BAY AREA, CALIF., PAROLE STUDY PRELIMINARY REPORT, AUTHORED BY THE YOUTH AUTHORITY'S DIVISION OF RESEARCH, ANALYZED THE OFFENSE RECORDS OF TWO GROUPS OF YOUTH AUTHORITY WARDS SELECTED FROM THE LESS SERIOUS OFFENDERS ON PAROLE IN THE RICHMOND, HAYWARD, AND OAKLAND PAROLE UNITS. ONE GROUP OF 100 WARDS WAS DISCHARGED EARLY FROM PAROLE (DISCHARGE AT LEAST 6 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE NORMAL PAROLE TERM) AND ANOTHER GROUP OF 102 WARDS CONTINUED ON REGULAR PAROLE SUPERVISION. BOTH GROUPS HAD BEEN UNDER PAROLE SUPERVISION FOR A MEDIAN TIME OF OVER A YEAR. WARDS IN BOTH GROUPS HAD SIMILAR ARREST RECORDS OVER THE 13-MONTH PERIOD FOLLOWING EARLY DISCHARGES, AND THE TWO GROUPS DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE TYPES OF SENTENCES GIVEN. THESE FINDINGS INDICATE THAT IT WOULD BE FEASIBLE TO REDUCE TIME ON PAROLE FOR LESS SERIOUS YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS COMMITTED TO THE CALIFORNIA YOUTH AUTHORITY WITHOUT INCREASING THE RISK TO THE PUBLIC. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL STUDIES OF LONGER DURATION ARE REQUIRED BEFORE CONSIDERATION OF A POLICY CHANGE. THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN EXCLUSIONS FROM RANDOM ASSIGNMENT, THE LETTER OF DISCHARGE, THE SEVERITY OF OFFENSE SCALE, AND THE DISPOSITION CODE. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)