Risk Classification Systems and the Provision of Juvenile Aftercare

Juvenile aftercare decision-making systems that classify parolees according to perceived risk and needs are designed to render uniform the treatment of these individuals by juvenile parole officials. This article analyzes a system implemented by Arizona to determine if the intensity of supervision received by parolees differs as a function of classification score. Supervision of a random sample of 280 parolees was tracked for 90 days. The analysis indicates that intensity of supervision does not differ based on the classification score, suggesting that the instrument does not control the decision making of the street-level bureaucrats, the parole officers.

A Case for Early Release

The Illinois Department of Corrections includes 18 operating prisons, 16 community correctional centers, and 7 work camps with more than 19,200 adults in custody; 7 juvenile facilities housing 1,200 committed youths; adult and juvenile parole systems with more than 11,000 people under supervision; and support divisions. With an annual budget of more than $400,000, Director Lane manages an agency that employs 10,100 staff to meet the custody needs of more than 31,000 offenders.