Using Early Release to Relieve Prison Crowding - A Dilemma in Public Policy, Report

Between 1980 and 1983, Illinois early released over 20,000 inmates in response to a prison crowding crisis. To evaluate this initiative, a data base was constructed on a random sample of 1,500 inmates released before the introduction of early release and 30 months thereafter. The analysis showed that early release did not worsen the probability that an inmate would commit additional crimes once released. Early release did substantially accelerate the amount of crime suffered by the public, but contributed to less than 1 percent of all crimes reported in Illinois. During this period, over 5,900 prison years were averted and projected prison population was reduced by approximately 10 percent. Although the program produced prison costs savings, a substantial portion of such savings were eliminated after accounting for the volume and economic losses experienced by victims of early release criminals. Graphs, tables, and approximately 50 references.