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Assess criminogenic risk and need factors.

Research has shown that assessment instruments (reliable, validated, and normative) area better predictor of an offender's risk sand criminogenic needs than individual professional judgment. These instruments also increase the chances that individuals will be matched with the appropriate type of treatment and services.

Develop and implement supervision case plans that balance surveillance and treatment.

The supervision case plan should build on empirical risk and needs assessments, strengths -based assessments, and client input as well as the input of other involved stakeholders. Interventions outlined in the supervision plan should also be sensitive to issues related to culture, motivation, temperament, and learning style.

Supervise clients to enhance their engagement.

In a behavioral management approach, the routine interaction between parole officers and clients is reframed as an intervention in itself, one in which effective communication is central. Using the techniques of motivational interviewing and positive reinforcement, parole officers can enhance engagement by clearly communicating conditions of supervision, reviewing assessment information and developing case plans with parolees, working with clients to update and modify goals and supervision conditions as appropriate, and explaining the reasoning behind such adjustments.

Engage informal social controls.

Interactions with a parole officer comprise only a small fraction of a client's time; even under the more intensive supervision regimes. Rather, the vast majority of a client's hours are spent with family, friends, employers, and alone; just like the rest of us. Understanding and engaging a client's natural web of supports is a practical and cost-effective way to complement the role of the parole officer.

Incorporate incentives and rewards into the supervision process.

Positive reinforcements areas much as four times as effective as sanctions in enhancing individual motivation toward positive behavior change and reduced recidivism. Drawing attention to the gains an individual has made rather than focusing on lack of progress can promote positive responses.

Employ swift, certain, and graduated problem -solving responses to violations of parole.

The purpose of responding to violations should be to confront behavior in away that will change it without necessarily relying on a costly return to a detention center, jail or prison that disrupts the reintegration process. Responding to violations with a continuum of available sanctions and rewards, from low intensity community- based options to highly secured residential and institutional options, can be more effective to prevent relapse and future offending-and less expensive-than revocation and re-incarceration.

Faye Taxman argued that traditional supervision contacts between agents and their clients represent a missed opportunity for motivational work toward behavioral change. Supervision has been dominated by surveillance and control strategies, with some efforts toward brokering treatment and employment services. The approach has generally been to rely upon the treatment interventions that serve offender populations to incorporate the research principles instead of developing within supervision such evidence-based practices.

Instead, Taxman recommended recasting community supervision as a series of steps and progress measures keyed toward behavior change. "The contact is equivalent to 'brief interventions,' which are short in duration but empower the offender to change his/her behavior."

By incorporating evidence-based techniques and cognitive -behavioral strategies, the mission of supervision could be transformed from enforcement of compliance with static conditions to a dynamic process of personal growth. The architects of the EdStar model built upon a foundation of "what works" literature, applying relevant research findings to probation and parole supervision.

The program design for EdStar rests on four key pillars:

1. Use TSMS as a tool to assess the criminal characteristics (dynamic risk factors) that are susceptible to change.

2. Engage people under supervision in a behavioral contract that marries their personal desires and goals to appropriate services that also address their specific criminogenic traits; monitor performance as a key to making progress with the offender; and focus attention on criminogenic issues.

3. Emphasize achievement of behavioral goals via positive and negative re- enforcers that will assist the client in achieving these goals through frequent daily TSMS contact along with face to face contact and webinars.

4. Maintain an environment in which clients can take incremental steps that allow them to grow and evolve from each scenario and to learn from missteps or small relapses. The primary objective was to create a supervision environment where respect for clients is demonstrated, and the ground rules for supervision are clearly communicated, while responding to the criminogenic needs that propel people toward criminal activity.

EdStar changes the character of criminal supervision. Contacts with clients are focused on better understanding them and what drives their criminal behavior. The goal is not to catch clients doing bad things. Rather, each TSMS contact is an opportunity for clients to show incremental steps toward responsible behavior. This redefinition changes the nature of the interactions during supervision contacts and provides a consistent context for all contacts.

The result is that clients are more likely to make strides in meeting supervision requirements and mandates, and are less likely to violate them. The traditional role of the supervision agent was to be broadened, from surveillance of people under supervision to engaging them in a change process by facilitating their involvement in treatment programs and pro-social activities, and helping them build the skills that are necessary to be productive members of society.

With EdStar the agent’s role is essentially redefined as that of a behavioral manager. New guidelines will be established regarding the use of socially acceptable decorum in the client’s home, work or school environment. By utilizing TSMS, EdStar builds a more supportive environment where people can make progress towards success. It transforms that supervision relationship making it more productive.

Faye S Taxman, Ph.D. is a University Professor in the Criminology, Law and Society Department and Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence at George Mason University.

The EdStar Therapeutic Relationship Utilizing Frequent Daily Contact Is More Productive Than Traditional Strategies And Provides Increased Community Safety