There is much debate about the effects of punitive or treatment responses to the many women who are on probation and parole. This article examines whether types of technical violations (drug or nondrug related) and responses to them (treatment or punishment oriented) as well as supervision intensity predict recidivism.
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Period-specific state and local policies influence the relative emphasis on punishment versus rehabilitation and treatment. … Despite these general trends away from punitive sanctions, there are other jurisdictions that have moved in the opposite direction, by increasing punitiveness through emphasis on the certain and swift delivery of a jail time in response to technical violations (e.g., see Alm, 2013; Hawken & Kleiman, 2009).
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Some research on punitive responses to violations emphasizes the certainty and the immediacy of the response (e.g., Grommon, Cox, Davidson, & Bynum, 2013; Steiner, Markarios, Travis, & Meade, 2012). Swift and certain sanctions are related to avoiding criminal behavior at least during the period of monitoring (Grommon et al., 2013). We have not considered these dimensions of responses, but they do deserve further attention.