Estimating the value of specialty mental health probation, compared to supervision as usual.
Most people in the criminal justice system are supervised in the community on probation. People with mental illness are two times more likely to have their probation revoked and return to jail, compared to their relatively healthy counterparts.
To improve outcomes for this group, policymakers have recommended specialty mental health probation caseloads. People on specialty probation see specially trained officers who go beyond supervising probationers to try and increase their access to, and participation in, mental health services.
We conducted a large matched trial to test the impact and cost savings of specialty probation, in partnership with probation departments in Dallas County and Los Angeles County. We found that probationers under specialty supervision were much less likely to be re-arrested than those under traditional supervision – and that specialty probation saved money. However, these positive effects were not explained by symptom control or mental health services—instead, specialty probation was effective because of better officer practices, including the establishment of firm, fair, and caring relationships with probationers.