News for Immediate Release
June 15, 2017
Study
Finds County Intermediate Punishment Programs Work
Harrisburg –The results of an 18-month study were presented
recently at the meeting of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
(PCCD), showing that nonviolent, substance-dependent offenders sentenced to
County Intermediate Punishment (CIP) with a drug and alcohol restrictive
intermediate punishment component (D&A RIP) were less likely to recidivate
than a similar-characteristic population sentenced to incarceration.
Mr. Robert Orth, a Ph.D.
doctoral candidate from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a research
consultant to PCCD, presented his findings to the Commission through a detailed
infograph (see attachment).
Orth’s study consisted of
matching the criminal history and demographic characteristics of offenders
receiving a diversionary CIP (D&A RIP) sentence, which includes intensive
supervision and probation, with similar offenders receiving a state prison
sentence. Once matched, Orth calculated
recidivism rates by measuring any arrest that occurred within three years
either upon release from prison or at the imposition of the CIP (D&A RIP)
sentence. He found that offenders
diverted into the CIP (D&A RIP) sentence had a better three-year recidivism
rate (25.7%) when compared to the state prison control group (34.9%).
PCCD is committed to
research that evaluates the effectiveness of the programs supported by taxpayer
dollars. CIP usually receives an $18
million appropriation in the state budget annually, but was recently eliminated
in the HB 218 budget.
Funding for the study was
provided through the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics’
Statistical Analysis Center 2015 award to PCCD.
The Pennsylvania
Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s mission is to enhance the quality and
coordination of criminal and juvenile justice systems, facilitate the delivery
of services to victims of crime and increase the safety of our communities.
Contact: Kirsten
Kenyon, 717-265-8505
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