The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) analyzed the public safety impacts of Colorado’s policy changes to reduce community supervision caseloads in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and found that individuals who were released early or were moved to a lower level of supervision were less likely to recidivate than those who were not. These policy changes are backed by research that shows focusing supervision resources on individuals at the highest risk to recidivate yields the greatest reduction in recidivism. On the other hand, for individuals identified as low risk, over-supervision in the form of too many contacts or supervision requirements can have the opposite impact and actually increase their likelihood of recidivism.
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