Breaking the Cycle: Outcomes From Pennsylvania's Alternative to Prison for Technical Parole Violators

Focusing on Pennsylvania’s Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, this report discusses ways that parole administrators and corrections officials are striving to improve parole measures. The third of three reports produced by the Vera Institute of Justice on Pennsylvania’s RSAT program, this document argues that technical parole violators (TPVs), individuals who return to prison for violating the conditions of parole, are increasing in number. The author focuses on the Vera Institute of Justice’s evaluation of Pennsylvania’s RSAT program, describing it as an effective way to reduce parole revocation rates. After discussing the RSAT model’s goals of providing structure and support to inmates in order to prevent the violation of the conditions of their parole, the author presents the findings of this study. Data from Pennsylvania’s RSAT program indicate that program participants are incarcerated for significantly shorter periods of time than are inmates who do not participate in the RSAT program. Furthermore, the data indicate that RSAT program participants are rarely re-incarcerated for new offenses. The author concludes that Pennsylvania’s RSAT program shows great promise in reducing long-term incarceration costs and demonstrates Pennsylvania’s commitment to addressing the challenges of rehabilitation. Tables, appendix