NCJ Number
190281
Date Published
March 2001
Length
82 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme of England and Wales for the first 16 months of its operation.
Abstract
The evaluation included an analysis of release rates and recalls to prison; a survey of curfewees, family members, and probation supervisors; a cost-benefit study of HDC; and an analysis of short-term reoffending by offenders released early into the scheme compared to a control group. Prison and probation staff conduct an assessment of the suitability of an inmate for HDC and of the suitability of his/her proposed address. Of the 72,400 prisoners eligible for the scheme in the first 16 months, 30 percent were granted early release into HDC following the risk-assessment process. At any one time, an average of just under 2,000 prisoners have been in HDC. Women were more likely to be granted HDC than men, and offenders convicted of offenses with higher recidivism rates, such as burglary and theft, had lower HDC release rates. Over the first 16 months, the rate of recall to prison for HDC participants remained close to 5 percent. There was no clear link between establishments' release rates and recall rates. The generally successful operation of HDC was confirmed by the survey of curfewees, family members, and supervising probation officers, suggesting that the scheme had some success in easing the transition from custody into the community. For the curfewees, the main advantages were being out of prison and being with their families. At the time of the interview, one-third of curfewees were in work (28 percent full-time and 6 percent part-time), with an additional 36 percent seeking work. The average period spent in HDC was 45 days, at a cost of approximately 1,300 pounds per curfew, that contributed to a resource saving over the year of 63.4 million pounds. The scheme had a net effect of reducing the prison population by approximately 1,950 prison beds over the first 12 months of operation. Data on short-term reconvictions (up to 6 months after the automatic release data) were analyzed for both participant and control groups by using the Police National Computer conviction data. Just over 2 percent of curfewees were reconvicted for offenses committed while under the HDC. In the 6 months after the curfew period or discharge date, offenders eligible for HDC had similar reconviction rates to the control group (30.5 percent and 30 percent respectively). This suggested that the impact of HDC was broadly neutral in terms of reoffending when compared with the control group. 9 figures, 18 tables, and 9 references