Idaho Good at Assessing Repeat Offenders

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An expert in reducing rates of repeat criminal behavior says putting low-risk offenders through treatment programs typically makes some more likely to commit more crimes, while recidivism rates of high-risk offenders decline with effective treatment programs.

Ed Latessa, director of the University of Cincinnati's School of Criminal Justice, told lawmakers on the Criminal Justice Reinvestment Interim Committee Wednesday that Idaho does a good job of assessing offenders to determine their risk of committing a new crime. But he says that like many states, Idaho appears to take a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment programs.

The committee is looking for ways to reduce Idaho's prison population and lower crime, and their efforts are aided by researchers from the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the Pew Charitable Trusts.