The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, Inc. (CASES), aims to increase the understanding and use of community sanctions that are fair, affordable, and consistent with public safety. In July 2004, CASES conducted a recidivism analysis in an effort to document the lasting benefits of the programs it offers as alternatives to incarceration. CASES began by documenting the recidivism rates of graduates from two of its programs for felony offenders, the Court Employment Project (CEP) and the Nathanial Project. The recidivism rates are used as the ultimate indicator of a sentencing option's effectiveness. According to the studies, both programs show great success. Participants show great improvement and much lower recidivism rates in comparison to those offenders who did not participate in the programs. Click on the link below to read the full article.
Also in the CASES' Career Exploration Program, designed to help youth continue their career goals by combining rigorous employment readiness training and real work experience with career counseling, mentoring, and education services, there has been great progress. Of the Career Ex participants who graduated between 2000-2004:
- Nearly 90% have continued their education
- Two-thirds have worked
- Only 5% were convicted of a new felony within two years of graduation. [In comparison, a study of court-involved New York youth found that 81% of boys and 45% of girls exiting state juvenile correctional facilities were rearrested within three years.]