Associations Between Parole Outcomes and Characteristics of People Under Supervision, Supervising Officer, and Supervising Office

Abstract

Community-based supervision is a key feature of contemporary correctional practice, and while it is often assumed that the supervising officer is the agent of change, few previous studies have considered the relative importance of the characteristics of either those under supervision or the supervising office. Hence, this study employed a three-level hierarchical linear model to determine how much of the variation in parole outcomes can be explained by the supervising officer, the organizational context in which supervision takes place, and the characteristics of those being supervised. The results showed that the context of supervision and the supervising officer is only associated with differences in parole outcomes for non-Indigenous people. Further research and consultation are required to understand the reasons the officer may be less influential in supervision outcomes for Indigenous people and to identify the ways in which service delivery may be adapted to improve the outcomes for this group.