The Probation Experiment: Travis County Department Utilizes Evidence-Based Best Practices to Reduce Recidivism, Revocations

From the Texas Association of Counties Magazine:
The use of evidence-based practices to reduce recidivism and probation revocation is reviewed. Following an overview, this article discusses: developing the framework -- assessment, re-engineering, and offender supervision; and new tools for success -- diagnostic report that rates an individual in 11 different areas related to re-offending incorporating a "color-coded risk-needs supervision matrix" and motivational interviewing training.

The experiment achieved positive results: because of its four-year effort, the county’s overall one-year recidivism rates dropped from 29 to 24 percent.

More recidivism-related outcomes:

Pre-experiment, 26 percent of low-risk offenders were re-arrested within one year; post-experiment, only 6 percent were re-arrested after one year. That is a 77 percent drop in low-risk offender recidivism.
Pre-experiment, 26 percent of those offenders were re-arrested within one year; post-experiment, only 13 percent were re-arrested within one year of their original offense. That is a 50 percent drop in medium-risk offender recidivism.
Pre-experiment, 34 percent of those offenders were re-arrested within one year; post-experiment, only 31 percent were re-arrested within one year. That is a 9 percent drop in high-risk offender recidivism.