According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 67% of individuals released from prison are rearrested within three years of discharge. An estimated 30% of adult probationers supervised in the community are reconvicted for a new crime. Despite changes in laws, sentencing practices, and intervention approaches, these recidivism rates have remained relatively stable for decades (Andrews & Bonta, 2010; Bureau of Justice Statistics, n.d.; Hughes
& Wilson, 2005).
However, research over the past two decades demonstrates that significant reductions in recidivism are possible if current knowledge is applied with fidelity (see Andrews & Bonta, 2010; Lowenkamp, Latessa, & Smith, 2006). No longer is the challenge in understanding what we need to do to positively influence offender behavior; instead, the challenge is doing it. Practically speaking, adopting an evidence-based approach means restructuring the way in which we do business—in our jails and prisons, in probation and parole, and among judges, prosecutors, and others—so that organizational structures and cultures enable, rather than hinder, the implementation of policies, practices, programs, and services that are known to work in reducing criminal behavior. Dosage probation takes our current knowledge of intervention principles to the next logical step. Implementation of the dosage probation model, coupled with a rigorous empirical evaluation, offers potential for a justice system double play: increasing public safety while decreasing the costs associated with offenders’ persistent cycle of crime.

dosage