Too early is too soon

Early release procedures will likely become increasingly necessary during a time of fiscal uncertainty in corrections. To date, however, few empirical evaluations exist in the literature to guide correctional administrators in making these potentially unpopular decisions. The failure to appreciate fully the consequences of early release for the criminal justice system (as well as for the general public) could lead to unintended consequences in the form of increased costs and a potential decrease in public safety. The current study seeks to build on the limited information available by evaluating the effectiveness of releasing offenders early in Montana in an attempt to mitigate a budget deficit. The results indicate that offenders released early from a prison setting were more likely to recidivate (and to do so more quickly) than a matched group of offenders experiencing a traditional parole release from prison. Offenders released early from a community setting were somewhat less likely to recidivate than a matched group of offenders experiencing a traditional parole release from the community. Based on these findings, we assess three plausible explanations for our results. Adapted from the source document.