Conditions That Permit Intensive Supervision Programs to Survive

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has provided funding to jurisdictions across the nation to participate in an Intensive Supervision Probation/Parole Demonstration Project. The demonstration project is designed to be a field test of a model based on the Georgia Intensive Supervision Program (ISP), which essentially requires much closer control and monitoring of serious offenders than regular supervision imposes. Sites were instructed to implement the basic Georgia ISP model but to tailor the program specifics to their local needs, resources, and clientele. Over two years have passed since the initial demonstration projects were funded. Some of these have fared well; others have been or are being phased out; and some are surviving, but with uncertain futures. This article identifies the nine conditions that seem to have been critical to the implementation and viability of ISPs. It further argues that how the ISP was developed and implemented affects its survival (and ultimate success) as much or more than its content does.