Abstract

Field contacts are a core practice within probation and parole. While criminological theory suggests field contacts may reduce recidivism, there is very little empirical evidence of this impact, and the costs of field contacts to officers and agencies are high. To date, only two studies have investigated the relationship between field contacts and recidivism, and both studies rely on a single site and regression modelling to address issues of endogeneity. The goal of the current study is to improve the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of field contacts in reducing recidivism through a multi-site study that addresses previously unaddressed methodological issues. This study employs coarsened exact matching, numerous variations in model specification, and alterations of sample specification to address issues of endogeneity. When accounting for other differences between supervisees who receive field contacts and those who do not, the use of field contacts is accompanied by reductions in recidivism. These findings provide vital information for understanding what works within community supervision. This study was limited to examining the use of one or more field contacts; future research should explore the impact of varying dosage as well as other forms of contact.

摘要

实地接触是缓刑和假释期间的核心做法。虽然犯罪学理论表明现场接触可能会减少累犯，但这种影响的实证证据很少，而且现场接触对官员和机构的成本很高。迄今为止，只有两项研究调查了现场接触和累犯之间的关系，并且这两项研究都依赖于单一站点和回归模型来解决内生性问题。当前研究的目标是通过解决以前未解决的方法问题的多站点研究，提高现场接触在减少累犯方面有效性的证据强度。本研究采用粗化的精确匹配、模型规格的大量变化以及样本规格的变更来解决内生性问题。在考虑接受现场联系的受监管者和未接受现场联系的受监管者之间的其他差异时，现场联系的使用伴随着累犯的减少。这些发现为理解社区监督的作用提供了重要信息。这项研究仅限于检查一个或多个现场联系人的使用情况；未来的研究应该探讨不同剂量和其他接触形式的影响。