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Efforts to reduce recidivism and focus on high-risk individuals
0:48:45
ยท
3 min
Commissioner Holmes explains DOP's data-driven approach to reducing recidivism, focusing on identifying and providing intense engagement to high-risk individuals who are responsible for multiple re-arrests.
- DOP has implemented a system to accurately track recidivism rates and identify high-risk individuals.
- The department narrows its focus to individuals who have re-offended multiple times, allowing for more manageable and targeted interventions.
- Current data shows that a small number of juveniles (23) are responsible for a disproportionate number of re-arrests (55 citywide).
- DOP has adjusted its approach, including conducting more home visits to better understand clients' circumstances.
Amanda Farias
0:48:45
There has been an increase in re arrests and violations of probation in both adult and family court.
0:48:52
What has the department done to reduce recidivism?
Juanita Holmes
0:48:55
Right, so that's what we're speaking about.
0:48:56
When I walked in the door, you know, I couldn't even get a recidivism rate, right, a true recidivism rate.
0:49:01
And that's what this system that we put in place has done.
0:49:05
We have also now created a template.
0:49:09
So even our probation officers at the macro level, right, in respective boroughs, they can see it.
0:49:14
So I always say if you're focused on everything, you're focused on nothing.
0:49:17
We have a large population that we are supervising.
0:49:20
So as a result of such, we wanted to kind of narrow it down to who do we really need to provide that intense engagement to.
0:49:27
So let's use the Bronx Juvenile for instance, right.
0:49:31
We took a look at their numbers at that time Bronx Juvenile had two fifty clients in their population, 83 re offended for the year.
0:49:40
We took it down another notch and said how many re offended more than once.
0:49:44
Not that we wanted to take our eye off everyone else, but how many re offended.
0:49:48
That number dropped to 23.
0:49:50
20 three people were responsible for the majority of their arrests.
0:49:54
I can pivot to my juvenile DC and you can speak about what that number looks like today, but it gives us that focus where okay, here's the population we want to make sure are in the programs.
0:50:06
Here's the population we want to focus and visit and speak with mom and make sure they're going to school because they're driving the crime in public.
0:50:14
They have a real impact on public safety, but that's a large number and to shrink it down to that number really makes the caseload more manageable now, right, instead of the probation officer feeling overwhelmed because I may have 30 cases that I'm focused on, but it may be five people you really need to provide that intense engagement to.
0:50:33
You want to speak to your
Unknown
0:50:34
Yes, so well.
0:50:37
Thank you for the question.
0:50:38
So currently we have six forty seven juveniles that we're under our supervision and at this point we have approximately ironically 23 clients who are have been rearrested more than once which is a small percentage of our total population and particularly in The Bronx we have eight clients who account for that.
0:51:03
Four in Brooklyn, 2 in Manhattan, and six in Queens, and three in Staten Island.
0:51:11
So by doing this it really has we are able to really have a laser focus on these individuals who are continuously getting arrested.
Juanita Holmes
0:51:19
Can you speak to the number of arrests those 23 people are responsible for?
Unknown
0:51:23
Yes.
0:51:24
So those individuals are responsible for
Juanita Holmes
0:51:30
55 citywide.
0:51:33
And the number was larger than that but I think with the probation stat, I think with the not that I think, I know.
0:51:40
I know with the stat because it forces us to be, you know, to call in different boroughs similar to other city agencies.
0:51:48
When you're asking the question, focus and you're looking at the cases and we're really drilling down on it and making sure that the young person is getting what they need.
0:51:58
Where do we drop the ball at?
0:51:59
What could we have done more of?
0:52:01
Could we have been in the household more?
0:52:03
Should we have been in the household more?
0:52:04
We've narrowed it down with their visits.
0:52:07
We had young people leaving school early to make their visit with probation.
0:52:11
Doesn't work like that anymore.
0:52:13
Probation gets out and probation is going to the home.
0:52:16
And that's where we're visiting those young people at.
0:52:18
We need to see what's going on at home, right?
0:52:20
It may be circumstances, I don't know, maybe a parent not the best parent but doing the best that they can, right?
0:52:28
But we don't get to make those observations of living conditions and the circumstances of the household which may be contributing to why this young person is acting out.
0:52:38
So there are some changes that have been made and I think for the better.