A Rapid Review of Literature on Factors Associated with Adult Probation Revocations
Criminal justice stakeholders have increasingly relied on probation supervision as an alternative to incarceration and yet, probation revocations often result in incarceration. As such, increased understanding of the mechanisms behind revocations and strategies to reduce them is critical. We conduct a rapid review of the literature on factors associated with probation revocations. Specifically, we review 50 articles on how probation officer behavior, officer-client relationships, caseload size, supervision intensity, monetary sanctions, probation client characteristics, or programming and services are associated with probation revocations. Though the literature is limited, and findings are mixed, the most consistent findings indicate that officer-client relationships involving trust, support, respect, and empathy as well as reduced caseload sizes and cognitive behavioral therapy programs are associated with probation success while intensive supervision programs; greater monetary sanctions and nonpayment of those sanctions; and being Black and less educated are associated with poorer supervision outcomes. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.
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A recent study by Frailing et al. (2020) contrasts the findings of negative ISP outcomes from other research. The study examines the Swift and Certain (SAC) Probation Program in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, an intensive supervision program for high-risk clients. In the study’s first two years, researchers found that the majority of the program’s goals were being met, including measurable reductions in new crime, substance use, and jail overcrowding. However, researchers indicated that SAC programs present their own set of challenges and advocate exploring these, particularly through the use of probation client perceptions surveys.
