Sentencing
Knowing what to do starts with knowing what works, and what hasn't. CrimeSolutions helps practitioners and policymakers understand what programs & practices work, are promising, or haven't worked yet.
On this page you can find programs and practices related to Sentencing. Select "Search Filters" to narrow down the list by rating, extent of evidence, and many other aspects of the programs or practices. Skip to Practices
CrimeSolutions’ ratings are assigned from standardized reviews of rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. While we encourage you to learn more about this process, you don’t need to in order to benefit from it. Our clear ratings and profiles can help you determine if a program or category of program is worth pursuing.
Icon | Rating | Program Rating Description | Practice Rating Description |
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Effective | Implementing the program is likely to result in the intended outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. | |
Promising | Implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s) | On average, there is some evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. | |
No Effects | Implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will not achieve the intended outcome or may result in a negative outcome. |
Programs
Showing Results For:
Topic: sentencingTitle | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | RCT | ||
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Program Profile: Imprisonment for Individuals Who Committed a Drunk Driving Offense (New South Wales, Australia) |
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Alcohol-Related Offenses, Alcohol, Prisons, Corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Courts, Traffic laws, Traffic law enforcement, Law enforcement, Substance abuse, Legal substances, Drugs | This involves prison time for individuals who have committed drunk-driving offenses to reduce their risk of recidivism upon their release. The program is rated No Effects. There was no statistically significant difference between individuals in the treatment group (who received prison time) and the comparison group (who received a suspended imprisonment sentence) on reoffending with a driving-while-under-the-influence-of-alcohol offense within 6 months’, 24 months’, or 5 years’ time. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Project Safe Neighborhoods (Tampa, FL) |
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Gun violence, Databases, Problem-oriented policing, Crime prevention, Sentencing, Courts, Arrests | This initiative involves proactive policing, enhanced enforcement, sentences for individuals who repeatedly offend, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders. The program’s goal is to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The program is rated Promising. The implementation of the program led to a statistically significant reduction in violent crime in the treatment group relative to the control group. However, there was no statistically significant impact on the rate of gun crimes. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Florida Postrelease Supervision |
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Parole, Recidivism, Crime prevention | This intervention involves individuals under any form of supervision after release from incarceration in the state of Florida, with the goal of reducing their risks of recidivism. The program is rated Promising. There were statistically significant decreases in rearrest and reconviction rates for individuals under supervision, compared with those who did not receive supervision, at the 3-year follow-up. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Police Body-Worn Cameras for Intimate-Partner Violence Cases (Phoenix, Ariz.) |
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Evidence, Sensors/Surveillance, Community policing, Crime prevention, Prosecution, Courts, Sentencing, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement, Arrests, Equipment and technology | This program equips police with on-officer cameras to record contacts with civilians during intimate-partner violence incidents. The program is rated Promising. Camera use was statistically significantly more likely to result in arrests, charges filed, cases furthered, and both guilty pleas and verdicts. There was no statistically significant difference in sentence length. However, there was a statistically significantly greater reduction in case processing time in cases not involving a camera. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: The Bronx Defenders Holistic Defense Model (New York) |
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Defendants, Indigent defense, Defense, Jails, Corrections, Correctional facilities, Sentencing, Courts | This is a program that uses an interdisciplinary team to address factors contributing to clients’ contact with the court. The program is rated Promising. Participants experienced a reduction in average sentence length and were more likely to be released on recognizance, compared with those who received traditional legal services. These differences were statistically significant. However, there was no statistically significant impact on conviction or on future arrest rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Cook County (Ill.) State Attorney's Deferred Prosecution Program (DPP) |
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Diversion, Sentencing, Courts | This is an alternative sentencing program aimed at diverting individuals who committed first-time nonviolent felony offenses from the criminal justice system. The program is rated No Effects. Results showed no statistically significant differences between the treatment group and comparison group on rearrests rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Discretionary Parole in New Jersey |
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Parole, Prisons, Reentry, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Sentencing, Courts | This allows individuals to be released early from a prison in New Jersey and complete the remainder of their sentences under supervision, with the goal of reducing recidivism. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group released early from prison had statistically significantly lower rates of reconviction, number of days until reconviction, re-arrests, and days to re-arrest, compared with those who had completed their entire sentences and were unconditionally released to the community. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Florida Work Release Program |
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Corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Sentencing, Courts, Inmate assistance programs, Employment initiatives, Reentry | This reentry program allows individuals who are nearing the end of their custodial sentences to work regular jobs in the community. The program is based in work release centers in participants’ counties of residence in Florida. The program is rated as Promising. The program was found to have a statistically significant effect on reducing reconvictions of participants and increasing their employment and quarterly earnings post-release. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Back Door Electronic Monitoring (Sweden) |
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Reentry, Community corrections, Corrections, Prisons, Sentencing, Courts | This program in Sweden involves the use of an ankle bracelet to determine the location of an individual who has been released following a short-term stay in prison. The overall goal is to reduce reoffending rates of participants. The program is rated Promising. Significantly fewer program participants were convicted of a new offense and sentenced to prison at the 3-year follow up, compared with control group participants. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Ready, Willing, and Able (RWA) |
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Jails, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Prisons, Reentry, Sentencing, Courts, Employment initiatives | This is a transitional employment program that gives those who are newly released from prison the opportunity to work and find housing. RWA seeks to provide clients with work and foundational skills so that they can find a job, secure housing, and become financially independent. The program is rated No Effects. After 3 years, RWA showed a statistically significant positive impact on jail sentences, but there was no statistically significant impact on arrests, convictions, and prison sentences. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: The Canton of Vaud (CV) Community Supervision Program (Switzerland) |
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Community corrections, Corrections, Reentry, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Sentencing, Courts | This program was designed to provide a community service alternative to short custodial sentences for inmates, with the goal of improving measures of recidivism (reconviction) and social integration (marriage/employment). This program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant, long-term effects on reconviction and social integration. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Cass County/Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Wellness Court (Walker, MN) |
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Alcohol-Related Offenses, Courts, Crime prevention, Traffic law enforcement, Recidivism, Sentencing, Driving Under the Influence (DUI), Law enforcement | This is a post-sentencing, driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) court intended to guide individuals identified as drug- or alcohol-addicted into treatment, which is designed to reduce criminal behavior and recidivism, enhance public safety, and enhance the well-being of program participants. This program is rated Promising. Results suggest that after 2 years, DWI court graduates and participants were statistically significantly less likely to be rearrested than non-DWI court participants. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Washington State's Residential Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative |
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Corrections, Reentry, Inmate programs, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Courts, Drugs, Substance abuse | This program is an alternative to incarceration for felons with substance abuse problems. In lieu of confinement, they must successfully complete a residential, chemical-dependency treatment program in the community. The program is rated Promising. Residential DOSA was shown to statistically significantly reduce overall recidivism rates compared with prison-based DOSA. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Adolescent Diversion Program (New York State) |
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Jails, Correctional facilities, Corrections, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Courts, Diversion, Sentencing | This is a diversion program for 16- and 17-year-old defendants in the New York state adult criminal justice system. The program is rated Promising. Similar rates of recidivism were found for participants and comparison group members, which suggests that diverting older adolescents does not increase the risk of recidivism and risk to the public. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Kansas Senate Bill 123 (Alternative Sentencing Policy for Non-Violent Drug Possession Offenders) |
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Drug testing, Probation, Mandatory sentencing, Drug possession, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Substance abuse | The Kansas State Senate Bill established a program that provided mandatory community-based drug treatment for nonviolent persons convicted of a preliminary offense for drug possession. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant differences at the 18-month follow-up for reconviction or revocation between defendants who received mandatory drug treatment and the unmatched comparison group of defendants who were sentenced to standard community corrections. Date Posted: |
None | ||
Program Profile: Phoenix (Ariz.) Repeat Offender Program |
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Background checks, Criminal history records, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Prosecution, Courts, Sentencing, Arrests | This program involved cooperation between police and prosecutors to increase the likelihood that high-risk individuals would be convicted and incarcerated. The program is rated Promising. The experimental group had a statistically significant greater likelihood of being sentenced to prison and having longer prison sentences, compared with the control group. However, there was no statistically significant difference for conviction rates between the groups. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
Program Profile: Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison (DTAP) |
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Drug testing, Corrections, Prisons, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Crime prevention, Courts, Diversion, Prosecution | This program is the first prosecution-led, residential drug treatment diversion program designed to divert people convicted of nonviolent felony drug offenses to community-based residential treatment. This program is rated Promising. Controlling for time spent in the community following release from prison, the intervention showed statistically significant positive effects on recidivism, time to first rearrest, and rearrest for program participants, compared with the control group. Date Posted: |
None |
Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | ||
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Practice Profile: Focused Deterrence Strategies |
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Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Sentencing, Courts, Juvenile (under 18) | This practice (also referred to as “pulling-levers policing”) includes problem-oriented policing strategies that follow the core principles of deterrence theory. The strategies target specific criminal behavior committed by a small number of individuals who chronically commit offenses, such as youth gang members or those who repeatedly commit violent offenses, who are vulnerable to sanctions and punishment. The practice is rated Promising for reducing crime. Date Posted: |