This research memorandum published by CNA’s Safety and Security Division (SAS) and funded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, examines the impact of individualized focused deterrence on criminal prosocial outcomes.
This randomized controlled trial conducted by CNA’s Safety and Security Division (SAS) and funded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice evaluated the effects of an individualized focused deterrence program sponsored by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the Missouri Department of Corrections. Focused deterrence programs have shown promise in reducing crime, but the absence of randomized controlled study designs precludes strong conclusions about their effects. Findings indicate that the experimental treatment had a significant indirect effect on recidivism by boosting employment: treatment group participants were more likely than control participants to be employed, and employed participants were less likely than unemployed participants to be arrested or charged with a technical violation by the end of the study. Future research should seek to replicate the current evaluation on larger samples. Randomized controlled studies that show individualized focused deterrence programs to be an effective method of crime reduction should help to scale such programs and overcome suspicions that they are soft on crime.