Expand opportunities for early discharge from probation.
Target actors: Probation agencies, courts, local and state legislators.
Probation departments can create opportunities for people on supervision to earn early discharge from probation after meeting certain goals or conditions. Research has shown that people discharged early from probation, regardless of their underlying charges, had lower rates of recidivism than people who served full terms of supervision.Jarred Williams, Vincent Schiraldi, and Kendra Bradner, The Wisconsin Community Corrections Story (New York: Columbia University Justice Lab, January 2019), 25, https://perma.cc/WX76-QSTP. In many places, early discharge policies are automatic, and probation staff do not need to petition for reduced supervision times.Vera Institute of Justice, The Potential of Community Corrections: to Improve Communities and Reduce Incarceration (New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2013), 27, https://perma.cc/52A9-57DM.. State law governs the authority of judges or probation agencies to grant early termination of probation, and some jurisdictions may need to pursue state-level legislative changes in order to enact these policies.
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