Key Findings: Stop the Flow into Prisons by Supporting Probation
-
The cost of incarcerating an individual in prison is approximately $43 per day while the cost of maintaining him or her on probation is $1.19 per day (i.e., the cost of 10 days of prison is equal to an entire year of probation).[i]
-
Texas’ probation population consists of approximately 432,000 people.[ii]
-
Probation departments receive approximately one-third of their operating budget dollars through the collection of fees from probationers, which creates a financial incentive for departments to maintain long probation terms.[iii]
-
The use and proper implementation of cognitive behavioral programs rooted in social learning theory are most effective at reducing recidivism.[iv]
-
Treatment must be individually determined to match to each individual’s personal characteristics and needs.[v]
-
Imposing additional conditions of probation beyond those directly related to an individual’s risks/needs only distracts and impedes the individual and his or her progress on probation.[vi]
[i] Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), Initial Meeting on Interim Charge # 1, (March 2004), http://tdcj.state.tx.us/publications/cjad/Initial-Meet-Inter-Charge1.pdf
[ii] Jason Clement, Community Justice Assistance Division, e-mail message to Ana Yáñez-Correa, January 15, 2009.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] Presentation given by National Institute of Corrections, Idaho Judicial Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, October 6, 2008.
[v] Ibid.
[vi] Ibid.