This study evaluated an intensive supervision probation (ISP) program that heavily emphasized both treatment and surveillance by requiring its offenders to attend repeat motion hearings in front of the sentencing judge to prove their compliance in the treatment-oriented conditions of the program. The experimental group consisted of 77 ISP participants and was matched based on propensity scores and a kernel matching algorithm with 148 regular probationers. Methods of analysis include the average treatment effect to determine the relationship between the program status of the offender (ISP verses regular probation) and likelihood of re-arrest and a survival analysis to determine the relationship between program status and time until re-arrest. Results indicate that the ISP did not reduce the likelihood of re-arrest for the ISP participants as compared to regular probationers. Findings also show that the ISP did not reduce the time until failure for the ISP participants, before or after inverse probability of treatment weighting. Ideally, additional data such as results of motion hearings and severity of re-arrest would be conducted before presenting finalized results on the program's effectiveness.
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