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Experimental Evaluation of the Phoenix Repeat Offender Program (Grant Report)

NCJ Number
134379
Author(s)
A F Abrahamse; P A Ebener; P W Greenwood
Date Published
1991
Length
50 pages
Annotation
A randomized field experiment was used to evaluate the impact of postarrest case-enhancement efforts by a special Repeat Offender Unit (ROU) of the Phoenix Police Department.
Abstract
The ROU experiment involved the assignment of offenders randomly to two groups, experimentals and controls. The experimentals consisted of offenders assigned as targets of the ROU. The ROU worked closely with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to document prior criminal records, to conduct followup investigations, and to devote extra effort to obtaining and maintaining victim and witness cooperation. The controls were handled through normal departmental procedures. The assignments to the experimental and control groups lasted 1 year; the last assignment was made on December 7, 1988 yielding 480 assignments: 257 to the experimental group and 223 to the control group. Every case was given at least 6 months prior to the determination of the effects of either the ROU program or normal processing. In June 1989 a data-collection team determined the followup outcomes. The analysis of case disposition patterns showed no significant increase in conviction rate for the experimental ROU cases, but there was a significant increase in the likelihood of imprisonment and the length of the term imposed. These increases were attributable to the ROU officers' success in the development of additional charges against the defendants and documentation of their prior records. 4 tables, 4 figures, and 21 references