Department of Criminal Justice, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Eval Rev. 2011 Dec;35(6):642-72. doi: 10.1177/0193841X12439194.
In recent years, several states have created mandatory prison-diversion programs for felony drug possessors. These programs have both individual-level goals of reducing recidivism rates and system-level goals of reducing prison populations.
This study examines the individual level and system level impact of Kansas' Senate Bill 123 (SB 123), which created mandatory probation/treatment sentences for felony drug possessors.
A nonrandomized quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the recidivism rates of drug possessors sentenced to SB 123 relative to drug possessors sentenced to standard probation, intensive probation, or prison. Propensity score matching techniques were used to identify comparison groups. Changes in probabilities of prison sentences preimplementation and postimplementation were used to assess changes in prison admissions and prison populations.
The treatment group included all eligible drug possessors sentenced to SB 123 between November 1, 2003, and October 31, 2006. The comparison groups included all eligible drug possessors sentenced to standard probation, intensive probation, or prison during the same time period.
Arrests, violations, revocation resulting in a prison sentence, and reconviction resulting in a prison sentence within 24 months of risk in the community served as the key individual-level outcome measures. Prison admissions and bed days served as the key system-level outcome measures.
At the individual level, SB 123 increased likelihood of recidivism compared to standard probation and had no significant effect compared to intensive probation or prison. At the system level, SB 123 diverted offenders from prison at sentencing but only marginally reduced prison admissions or saved bed days.
Conflicting impacts are a consequence of program design-eligibility requirements diverting probation-bound offenders, mandatory sentencing requiring the same diversion sentence for all offenders, and diversion sentences longer than those imposed preimplementation. Results cast doubt on the effectiveness of mandatory diversion programs to achieve both individual-level and system-level impacts.
近年来，一些州为重罪毒品持有者设立了强制性监狱转移计划。这些计划既有减少累犯率的个人层面目标，也有减少监狱人口的系统层面目标。
本研究考察了堪萨斯州参议院法案 123（SB 123）对个人和系统层面的影响，该法案为重罪毒品持有者判处强制性缓刑/治疗判决。
采用非随机准实验设计来评估被判 SB 123 的毒品持有者的累犯率与被判标准缓刑、强化缓刑或监禁的毒品持有者的累犯率。采用倾向评分匹配技术来确定对照组。实施前后监禁判决的概率变化用于评估监禁入院和监狱人口的变化。
治疗组包括 2003 年 11 月 1 日至 2006 年 10 月 31 日期间所有符合条件的被判 SB 123 的毒品持有者。对照组包括在同一时期被判标准缓刑、强化缓刑或监禁的所有符合条件的毒品持有者。
社区风险期内 24 个月内的逮捕、违规、导致监禁的撤销以及导致监禁的再定罪作为关键的个人层面结果测量。监禁入院和床位天数作为关键的系统层面结果测量。
在个人层面上，与标准缓刑相比，SB 123 增加了累犯的可能性，与强化缓刑或监禁相比没有显著影响。在系统层面上，SB 123 在判决时将罪犯从监狱转移，但仅略微减少了监禁入院或节省了床位天数。
由于方案设计——有资格获得缓刑的罪犯被转移，对所有罪犯都要求同样的转移判决，以及转移判决比实施前更长，导致了冲突的影响。结果对强制性转移计划实现个人和系统层面的影响的有效性提出了质疑。
