Someone working on Community Service.

Research has shown that changing offenders’ behavior requires a balance of supervision, services and sanctions. A Vera Institute of Justice study done on Multnomah County sanctioning practices found that a continuum of sanctions, including swift and certain jail sanctions, day reporting centers, community services and other program-based sanctions are more effective at changing offender behavior than a jail sanction alone.

Starting last May, DCJ’s Post-Prison and Parole Officers (PPOs) have improved how they sanction parole and probation violators. Along with providing swifter and more certain sanctions, including jail sanctions, DCJ removed barriers to alternative sanctions, and expanded their use. In the past year, PPOs have been placing more offenders on Electronic Monitoring, sending more offenders to Day Reporting, and are supervising more offenders through Community Service projects.

Online Resources

• Read the VERA Report
• View the PowerPoint Presentation
• PowerPoint Presentation, Vera Institute of Justice, Multnomah County Board of Directors, (July 2008)
• PowerPoint Presentation, Scott Taylor, Multnomah County Board of Commissioners on Effective Sanctioning Practices (March 12, 2009)
• Pew Charitable Trust Public Safety Performance Project
• Justice Reinvestment: A Project of the Council of State Governments Justice Center