Newsroom
Community Supervision & Public Safety
A review of the literature on SCF for substance use in community corrections, with policy recommendations.
UK white paper: Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession
The UK government proposes swift and certain police and sentencing responses to drug offenses.
Desistance-Focused Criminal Justice Practice
SCF in the context of deterrence-based and procedural-justice-based approaches.
Michigan Swift & Sure news
Michigan’s statewide SCF probation program annual report and local news.
Low-level parole violations clog Nevada prisons, derail parolee progress. Can reforms help?
A bill proposes SCF responses to supervision violations in Nevada.
The Perils of Probation: How Supervision Contributes to Jail Populations
Report contends that SCF jail sanctions may increase jail population, but alternative sanctions may be as effective.
Michigan Swift and Sure Probation news
An annual statewide report and local news items on SCF probation in Michigan.
ACLU takes on Wyoming’s 24/7 Sobriety program
The ACLU contends that Wyoming’s SCF 24/7 Sobriety may be unconstitutional.
Cuyahoga Co. (Ohio) Gun Court
A court in Cleveland uses SCF supervision with nonviolent gun defendants.
A Georgia SCF Sanctions Pilot Program Involving High/Risk Needs Probationers Needs to Be Assessed
Presentations on an evaluation of SCF in accountability courts in Georgia.
Law Enforcement Based Responses to Violence
SCF responses are key to deterring and reducing gun violence.
Probation Officer Discretion in Monitoring and Violating Supervision Conditions
Reviews concerns about discretion versus consistency in SCF responses.
Still Asking “What Works”: A Punishment Question for the Ages or an Aging Punishment Question?
The evidence on whether SCF responses deter recidivism is mixed and challenging to sort out.
Random Drug Testing in Prisons: Does a Little Testing Go a Long Way?
Random drug testing, shown effective in SCF in some community-supervision studies, isn’t well understood in prisons.
Understanding What Works in the Police Management of Child Sex Offenders in the Community
SCF police responses for sex offenders may deter reoffending.
Efficient Institutions and Effective Deterrence: On Timing and Uncertainty of Formal Sanctions
A laboratory experiment considers the effects on deterrence of varying swiftness and certainty of sanctions.
An Evaluation of Federal Support Court in Connecticut
An evaluation of a therapeutic court for drug-involved persons in the federal justice system considers SCF findings.
Crime, Inequality and Subsidized Housing: Evidence from South Africa
SCF sanctions are noted in a discussion of the causes of crime in South Africa.
The Role of Police in Police–Reentry Partnerships in the United States
SCF responses are integral to police focused-deterrence efforts.
Deterrence and the Moral Context: Is the Impact of Perceived Sanction Risk Dependent on Best Friends’ Moral Beliefs?
Adolescents’ perception of the certainty of sanctions may depend on their friends’ beliefs about the rules.
Increasing Pretrial Releases and Reducing Felony Convictions for Defendants: Implications for Desistance from Crime
SCF responses remain popular amid criminal justice reform.
Gender and Community Supervision: Examining Differences in Violations, Sanctions, and Recidivism Outcomes
The effects of carceral sanctions for technical violations may differ for men and women.
Staying Close and Looking Back: An Examination of Desistance in a Maryland Community Corrections Population Project
A brief review of best practices in pretrial supervision.
Frequency of Enforcement Is More Important Than the Severity of Punishment in Reducing Violation Behaviors
Experiments show that certain enforcement reduces violations more than severe sanctions do.
Probation to Prison: Race and the Structure of Sanctions in Kansas Probation Supervision
SCF probation in Kansas reduces racial disparities in returns to prison.
Hidalgo County (Tex.) Emerging Adult Strategy: Final Evaluation Findings
SCF probation for young adults in Hidalgo Co. improved outcomes for recidivism and employment.
An Evaluation of the New Jersey Swift-Certain-Fair Parole Randomized Controlled Trial
SCF for NJ parolees at risk of opioid overdose reduced returns to prison.
Adult Sentencing & Release Guidelines: Utah Sentencing Commission
Recommends graduated-response SCF with incentives.
Exploring the Impact of Technical Violations on Probation Revocations in the Context of Drug Court
A case for research into sanctions for technical violations.
Lessons Learned from the Queens Co. (N.Y.) Probation Domestic Violence Pilot Program
Recommends SCF supervision for domestic-violence defendants.
The Short-Term Effects of Intensive Post-Release Correctional Supervision on Recidivism: A Natural Experiment
Michigan’s Swift and Sure probation shows better outcomes than most intensive-supervision programs.
The Need for Increased Funding for HOPE/SCF
More federal SCF dollars would increase and improve implementations.
Why American exceptionalism abroad requires criminal justice reform
How recent foreign-policy lessons bear on domestic criminal justice reform.
Worth the Risk? Gun Carrying and Perceived Criminal Justice Responses in Baltimore (Mary.)
Is a lack of SCF consequences driving gun-carrying behavior?