The Impacts of Parole Supervision / Luke D. Brinkman, Andrew Jordan, Derek Neal.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brinkman, Luke D.

Contributor:

Jordan, Andrew.

Neal, Derek.

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w34663.

NBER working paper series no. w34663

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2026.

Summary:

We study a reform to parole supervision that reduced supervision terms for some Illinois parolees from 12 to 6 months. Using difference-in-differences, we find that the reform reduced prison re-entry rates. Sharp drops in technical revocation rates drove these reductions. Rates of prison re-admissions linked to new crimes were unchanged. Cook County court records confirm these findings. The reform reduced parole costs without creating measurable harms to public safety. We develop a conceptual framework that shows how shorter terms of supervision could reduce rates of criminal activity, and we show how this framework informs on-going debates about parole supervision policies.

Notes:

January 2026.

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