Better to Stay Home: Evaluating the Impact of Day Reporting Centers on Offending

This article reports the findings of a quasi-experimental evaluation of community resource centers (CRCs)—nonresidential, day reporting centers employed for recent parolees. CRC participants ( n = 2,789), drawn from release cohorts in 2008, 2009, and 2010, were matched using propensity scores to similar parolees who did not participate in CRC programming ( n = 16,500). At the conclusion of the scoring and matching process, 2,789 CRC–parolee pairs were identified, including the full population of program participants. Outcome measures, including rearrest, reconviction, and parole revocation rates, after 1, 2, and 3 years are reported. Across all release cohorts, CRC participants were arrested and revoked at significantly higher rates, resulting in higher rates of returns to custody. Implications for correctional policy are considered.