Steve Aos - January 2005

In recent years, the Washington State Legislature has directed the Institute to identify evidence-based programs that can lower crime and give Washington taxpayers a good return on their money. The purpose of this short report is to update previously published findings pertaining to correctional industries programs for adult prisoners.

Steve Aos, Polly Phipps, Robert Barnoski - January 2005

The Washington State legislature directed the Institute to evaluate whether the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) influences recidivism rates and whether the benefits of DOSA outweigh the costs. We analyzed the effects of the legislation by comparing a group of offenders who received DOSA sentences with a similar group of offenders sentenced prior to the 1999 implementation date of DOSA. As described in the report, our overall finding is that DOSA is an effective criminal justice policy for drug offenders but neutral for drug-involved property offenders.

Robert Barnoski, Roxanne Lieb - August 2004

This report describes the research design for a legislatively directed study of Washington State's sex offender policies and programs.

Robert Barnoski - July 2004

The 2003 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to analyze how sentences for adult felons affect the state’s prison population. Our task is to determine whether policy changes to Washington’s sentencing structure could reduce the growth in the prison population without jeopardizing public safety. Our findings are published in three parts. Part I, published in March 2004, reviewed the sentencing structure for Washington and examined the growth of the prison population. Part III will summarize the study’s findings. This report, Part II, examines the statistically estimated impact of imprisonment and sentence lengths on recidivism. That is, do offenders sentenced to prison, and those who receive longer prison sentences, recidivate more or less often than similar offenders not sentenced to prison or who receive shorter sentences? Can these policy levers be adjusted to reduce prison populations without adversely affecting public safety?

Robert Barnoski - March 2004

The 2003 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to determine if there are changes to Washington’s sentencing structure that could reduce the growth in the prison population, and its associated costs, without endangering public safety. Our findings will be published in two parts. In this report—Part I—we provide an overall context for the study by reviewing Washington’s sentencing system and examining the growth trends of the prison population. Part II of this study, which estimates the impact that prison sentences have on recidivism, was published in June 30, 2004.

Polly Phipps - January 2004

The 1998 Legislature significantly revised public safety and treatment policies regarding mentally ill offenders charged with misdemeanors by extending the criminal competency restoration process to misdemeanant defendants, broadening the involuntary civil commitment process for both misdemeanor and felony offenders, and strengthening information sharing provisions of the law. The Legislature directed the Institute to evaluate the outcomes of competency restoration and involuntary civil commitment treatment under the new law. This study addresses whether the legislation influenced the process of competency evaluation and whether the main legislative objectives have been met.

Cheryl Milloy - December 2003

Washington was the first state to pass a civil commitment law for violent sex offenders; the law was part of the state's 1990 Community Protection Act. The Sexually Violent Predator statute permits the indefinite involuntary civil commitment of persons found in civil court to be sexually violent predators. This study examines the recidivism of 89 sex offenders released between July 1990 and July 1996 who were referred by the Department of Corrections as meeting the filing standards for civil commitment petitions, but for whom no petitions were filed. The study reveals that this group of individuals have a high pattern of recidivism.

Robert Barnoski - December 2003

The 2003 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to determine if there are changes to Washington’s sentencing structure that could reduce costs without endangering public safety. This interim report describes the research plan, as well as the steps taken as of December 2003.

The final report is available in two parts:
Part I: Historical Trends
Part II: Recidivism Analyses

Robert Barnoski, Steve Aos - December 2003

In 1999, the Washington State Legislature passed the Offender Accountability Act (OAA). The OAA affects how the state provides community supervision to adults convicted of felony crimes. The Legislature directed the Institute to determine if the OAA achieves reduced re-offense rates (recidivism) and improvements in other outcomes. In this report, we examine how well the risk assessment instrument adopted by DOC—the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R)—predicts recidivism in a sample of 22,533 Washington offenders. We also explore possible improvements to the instrument and how a revised classification approach might work within the OAA.

Polly Phipps, Bill Luchansky - December 2003

The 1999 Legislature directed the Institute to evaluate DOSA, a drug treatment alternative for felony drug and property offenders who receive a prison sentence. In this presentation to the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, we examine how DOSA has been implemented. Are DOSA offenders: (1) receiving and completing treatment?, and (2) held accountable for behavior that violates DOSA sentence conditions through sanctions and revocations? The final DOSA report, due to the Legislature in December 2004, focuses on criminal recidivism and cost-effectiveness, using a pre-post study design with a treatment and comparison group.