Program Profile: Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS)

This is an initial training and coaching model targeted at community supervision officers. The overall goal is to teach community supervision officers how to translate principles of effective intervention into practice, and how to use core correctional practices in their interactions with persons convicted of a crime. The program is rated Promising. Officers in the treatment condition exhibited a greater use of core correctional skills over time than officers in the comparison condition.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

Program Goals

The Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) model aims to teach community supervision officers how to translate principles of effective intervention into practice, and how to use core correctional practices in face-to-face interactions with persons convicted of a crime. Community supervision officers are taught to follow a structured approach to their interactions with persons convicted of a crime, by adhering to the risk, needs, and responsivity (RNR) principles.

Program Theory

Research indicates that adherence to the principles of RNR can improve the effectiveness of community supervision; therefore, the EPICS model incorporates these principles into practice. The risk principle asserts that treatment intensity should match the level of risk an individual poses, so that higher-risk persons receive more services than lower-risk persons. The need principle requires that officers target changeable, crime-producing risk factors (also known as criminogenic needs) to reduce recidivism. Common criminogenic needs may include antisocial personality, antisocial cognition, or antisocial associates. Finally, the responsivity principle emphasizes the importance of providing cognitive behavioral treatment to them according to their specific learning styles, motivations, abilities, and strengths (Labrecque and Smith 2015).

Program Components

During the three-day EPICS training led by program staff, community supervision officers are trained to address the RNR principles and use core correctional skills during their contact sessions with persons convicted of a crime. The EPICS model ensures that community supervision officers focus on higher-risk individuals, treat their criminogenic needs, and use treatment strategies that match the learning styles and motivations of persons convicted of a crime. Additionally, the EPICS model ensures that officers are trained on skills that are designed to increase the therapeutic potential of a correctional program, including anticriminal modeling, effective reinforcement, effective disapproval, effective use of authority, structured learning, problem solving, cognitive restructuring, and relationship skills. 

In anticriminal modeling, officers serve as role models by exhibiting prosocial behaviors and reinforcing them when they exhibit these behaviors. Effective reinforcement includes the use of immediate statements of approval and support to reinforce positive behaviors exhibited by the person convicted of a crime. The officer also explains why the behavior is desirable and discusses its short- and long-term benefits. Alternatively, effective disapproval occurs when officers communicate disapproval to the person for specific behavior, and explains why the behavior is undesirable and the short- and long-term consequences. Officers make effective use of authority by guiding them to compliance by discussing positive behaviors in a direct and specific way. Structured learning occurs when officers use behavioral strategies to help persons convicted of a crime learn prosocial behaviors and how to avoid risky situations. Officers teach problem solving to address high-risk situations. Cognitive restructuring is the process through which officers assist them in generating descriptions of problematic situations, identifying the related thoughts and feelings that occur in those situations, and practicing prosocial alternatives. Finally, relationship skills involve promoting positive officer–offender relationships, including training the officer to be flexible, nonjudgmental, engaging, solution-focused, and empathetic (Latessa et al. 2013). 

The first day of training introduces the EPICS model, the rationale for the model, the model structure (check-in, review, intervention, and homework), and the importance of the officer–offender relationship. The second day focuses on intervention techniques such as cognitive restructuring, problem solving, and restructured learning. The final day focuses on behavioral practices such as anticriminal modeling, effective reinforcement, effective disapproval, and effective use of authority. The training typically includes presentations, demonstration of skills, workbook activities, group activities, and opportunities for officers to practice their newly learned skills. 

In addition to the 3-day training, officers also participate in 24 coaching sessions. The purpose of these sessions is to increase the use of the skills taught in the training. The structure of the coaching sessions is similar to the structure of the EPICS sessions. For example, the sessions begin with a check-in, during which officers discuss any outstanding questions or concerns. The topic from the previous session is then discussed until the officers express confidence in their ability to use that skill in face-to-face interactions. A different topic is then reviewed and modeled, and officers are given the opportunity to practice the new skill and receive feedback. Finally, officers are provided with homework to practice the reviewed skills during a contact session with one of their subjects prior to the next coaching session. To ensure treatment fidelity, officers are required to submit at least one audio-recorded, officer-offender interaction per month through a secure website. Trained researchers listen to the recording and provide the officers with feedback on their performance. 

Study 1

To investigate the impact of the Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS) model on the core correctional practices of probation and parole officers, Labrecque and Smith (2015) used a quasi-experimental design; they assigned 28 officers to the treatment condition and 15 to the control condition. Officers in the treatment condition were trained and coached in the EPICS model; officers in the control condition were untrained and not coached in the EPICS model. The officers in both the treatment and control conditions were predominately white and female, with approximately 10 years of correctional experience. There were no significant differences between the treatment and control groups on any characteristics examined.

To evaluate the impact of the EPICS model and the ongoing coaching feedback, trained researchers listened to the audio-recordings of the officer-offender interactions. Through the recordings, the researchers measured adherence to the eight service-delivery skills, which included anticriminal modeling, effective reinforcement, effective disapproval, problem solving, structured learning, effective use of authority, cognitive restructuring, and relationship skills. Items were scored as “0” if the officer had the opportunity to use a skill, but did not; “0.5” if the officer used the skill, but missed major steps; and “1” if the officer demonstrated proficient use of the skill. Yes/no items were scored as “yes” if the officer used the skill and “no” if the officer did not use the skill. Only those items in which the officer had an opportunity to use the skill during the session with the subject were included.

Although there were originally 755 audiotapes submitted, 169 tapes were missing date information and were excluded. The remaining 586 audiotapes were binned into 3-month increments, following the initial training. To assess the use of skills over time, the study examined audiotapes for up to 18 months following training. Five audiotapes that included data subsequent to the 18-month follow-up period were excluded; thus, a total sample of 581 audiotapes were examined. The 28 officers in the treatment condition (trained on the EPICS model) contributed 391 audiotapes; the 15 officers in the control condition (untrained group) contributed 190 audiotapes. No subgroup analyses were conducted.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

These sources were used in the development of the program profile: