Implementation of the PARS Essay Example
Barno et al. (2020) conducted a study to investigate the impact of Pretrial Assessment and Release Supervision (PARS) Program on the release rates and the possibility of FTA (Failure to Appear) among felons. The study was important because the system is seeking alternatives to cash bails that put the poor at a disadvantage. The results of the study would help to indicate whether the PARS non-monetary programs could be adopted as a substitute to the cash bails by assessing its effectiveness. The researchers conducted a quasi-experiment using data that was compiled prior to and after the implementation of PARS in Orange County. An analysis was conducted to investigate whether the release rates for the non-violent felons before the implementation of PARS differed from the release rates after the implementation of PARS. Furthermore, the researchers investigated some of the factors that influenced the judge’s decision to deny or give the felon PARS. A logistic regression model predicting judicial decision to grant or deny PARS based on factors such as employment status and VPRAI score was used. Results showed that PARS could be implemented successfully as it did not increase the pre-trial release rates, and it in fact reduced the FTA rates.
The study was based on three research questions that focused on the effectiveness of the PARS Program. The first research question sought to determine whether the release rates for felons increased after the implementation of the PARS. The second question focused on the various factors that affected the judge’s decision regarding whether to give the felon PARS or not. The last question concerned the comparison of FTA between felons who participated in PARS and those who had been released on cash bail.
Data was collected using quantitative method in form of the quasi-experiment research design. The data was gathered from Orange County jail and the researchers compiled two samples. The first sample involved non-violent felons who would have qualified for the PARS if it had been implemented in 2015, while the other sample comprised of felons who qualified for the program after its implementation in 2016-2017. The quasi experiment enabled comparison of the two test groups to see whether implementation of PARS had any significant impact on the release rates. This form of experiment however may result in bias results because it does not take into account variables that may influence the results.
Additionally, the researchers also collected demographic information, FTA, jail bookings and risk assessment scores of the 557 felons that had been recommended PARS from the County Jail’s 2016 records (Barno et al., 2020). This helped to obtain information regarding the factors that judges considered prior to deciding whether to give the felon PARS or not. Some of the crucial information was however missing for some participants, and consequently, the researchers used multiple imputation by chained equations (MCE) to “impute values for the missing data” (Burno et al., 2020).
The pre-PARS sample comprised 2,814 felons while the pars eligible entailed 3,818 felons (Burno et al., 2020). The number of felons that had been given PARS in 2016 was 557. The two methods helped researchers determine whether felon release rates decreased after implementation of the PARS, factors that influenced judges’ decision regarding whether to give PARS or not, and comparison of FTA between those that had been released on cash bail and those who were being supervised under PARS (Burno et al., 2020). The primary independent variable for the first outcome was pre-PAS and PARS-eligible, while the dependent variable was the release rate. The independent variable for the second outcome involved the various factors that judges considered such as VPRAI Assessment Score and employment status. The dependent variable was whether the felon was given a PARS or not. The independent variable in the third variable included cash bond and PARS. The dependent variable was the FTA rate. Gender, race and military status were covariates, meaning they were not of direct interest in this particular study (Kraemer, 2015).
A Logistic regression model predicting judicial decision to grant a felon PARS based on factors such as employment status, and VPRAI score was used. This model is mainly used to forecast data based on the initial values, allowing prediction of dependent data (El-Habil, 2012). The model was also used to determine whether the PARS influenced FTA or other factors were involved. A sample of 313 participants was used to investigate, and it was clear that engaging in the program influenced the felons’ FTA.
The results from the study show that PARS can be implemented successfully because it does not significantly increase the release rates, and it decreases FTA rates. The Program had great influence on the participants as it reduced the FTA rates. Felons who participated in the PARS program were more likely to appear than their counterparts who were on cash bail. The fact that the program could be more successful in reducing FTA justifies replacing cash bail. The results also showed that implementation of the program did not lead to increase in release rates as expected. This further justifies implementing the program in different jails. Furthermore, results showed that judges were more likely to consider factors such as employment status when making their decision on whether to give PARS or not. From the research findings, it is clear that other jails can adopt the program, as it is effective. They could use it as a non-monetary alternative to cash bail to help fight inequality and reduce FTA rates.
One of the ethical considerations involved in the study was confidentiality. This was mainly because of the nature of the type of data that was being collected. The researchers had to take precautions such as data encryption to ensure that the records were not tampered with by unauthorized parties. Another ethical consideration involved accurate data analysis. The researchers have a moral obligation of ensuring that they present the collected data honestly and accurately. Any manipulators and errors must be identified and adjusted to maintain integrity. The study employed the right research design as required as it used quasi-experimental method. This approach was the most appropriate to enable data comparison of release rates between pre-PARS and eligible PARS, and to identify its effectiveness in decreasing FTA. All the procedures and the methods used were appropriate for the study and limitations were provided.
One of the major study limitations involved the generalizability of the results. The study focused only on Orange County, and the program used only applied to the non-violent felons. It was important for the study to be conducted in different areas within the country to ensure various populations in different context were considered. Another major limitation was the fact that the felons who were denied PARS were able to pay cash bail, and this could have influenced judges to deny the felons PARS. The third limitation involved the method that was being used in the study. Quasi experiment at times may yield biased results because some variables that may influence results may be omitted.
Adopting non-monetary alternatives to replace cash bails is important to eliminate disparity. PARS program has proven to be effective because it does not lead to higher release rate, and it reduces FTA. The program is set such that it influences the non-violent felons to appear in court when required. Adopting this program, which seems more effective than cash bail would help courts to meet the goal of cash bail, which involves guaranteeing that the felon will return. Further studies ought to be conducted to investigate the impact of other non-monetary programs.
