To safely cut incarceration, states rethink responses to supervision violations

Through JRI, over 30 states passed policies to reduce the number of people in prison for technical violations while protecting public safety. However, many states still are struggling with this issue.
By improving community corrections and directing resources to those who need them, states can provide long-term reductions in recidivism. As part of their JRI reform packages, 35 states enacted policies to increase success rates among people on supervision and develop alternatives to technical revocation.
These policies fall into four categories:
·Tailoring supervision strategies toward behavioral change for those at the highest risk of reoffending.
·Providing positive incentives for people on supervision.
·Using administrative responses to violations.
·Capping or reducing jail or prison time for violations and limiting the conditions under which incarceration may be used to respond to a technical violation.