Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1989

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

William Calhoun

Committee Members

James Black, Michael Johnson, Robert Kronick

Abstract

The study's main objective was to evaluate a new program of intensive parole supervision (IPS) in Knoxville, Tennessee. Secondary objectives were to determine causes of parole success and failure, and to reveal basic differences between IPS and regular parole populations.

First, two comparisons were conducted between parole successes and violators. Eighty-five regular parole successes and violators from 1982 and 1983 were compared on 22 demographic and crime variables. Statistically significant were sentence length, parole officer's assessment of risk, prison infractions, and jail days (before making bond). Then 50 IPS successes and violators from 1986 and 1987 were compared on the significant variables from the 1982-1983 comparison, but no differences were found.

Then, a population of 50 IPS parolees from the Knoxville parole office was compared with a population of 207 parolees from the Oak Ridge parole office for general demographic and crime variables. Differences were found in race, gender, age, and offense.

Then 46 subjects were taken from the Oak Ridge parole population to match with 46 of the Knox County IPS parolees. The groups were compared for treatment variables and dependent variables. Significant differences were found in amounts of treatment, but the only dependent variable significant result showed IPS to have more parole violations than regular parolees.

Also, the group of 50 IPS parolees from 1986 and 1987 was compared with 45 regular parolees who had problems with their parole, six months prior to the IPS group's observation. Significant differences were found in amounts of treatment, but not in independent variables, except that more IPS parolees than regular parolees received technical violations.

Lastly, the group of IPS parolees was assessed for relationships among treatment and dependent variables. Parole officers' subject and community contacts correlated positively with parole violations, while number of parolees attending AA meetings correlated negatively with parole violations.

The conclusion is that most components of IPS appear either ineffective or harmful, with AA attendance being the only helpful treatment component.

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