It’s an argument for tossing ’em in jail and throwing away the key.
Convicted criminals sentenced to probation rather than prison time are nearly three times likelier to break the law again than those who’ve gone to the Big House, state statistics reveal.
Arrest data show that within three years of being sentenced to probation, the convict has a 26 percent chance of being re-arrested — and a 9 percent chance of committing a violent felony.
By contrast, a comparatively small 8 percent of parolees are returned to prison within three years of release because of a new felony offense, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.
And if they do commit a felony, a relatively small 7 percent of them are violent.
“We’ve got a population that is inherently more likely to recidivate,” said Robert Maccarone, state director of the Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. “Increasingly, people are placed on probation supervision who may not be well suited to benefit from the services we provide.”
Between 2005 and 2007, the state released 399 A-1 violent felons, the top category. Of those, 385 went to prison for murder or attempted murder — and to date not a single one has returned to jail for a new crime, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.