Simulation Strategies to Reduce Recidivism

April Pattavina, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Dr. Pattavina has written extensively on the use of technology in the criminal justice system. Faye S. Taxman, Ph.D.is a University Professor in the Criminology, Law and Society Department and Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence at George Mason University. Dr. Taxman has over 30 years of experience in conducting research in the areas of sentencing, courts, corrections, and organizational change.

• Introduction.- The Stages of Simulation Models in Criminal Justice.- Simulation Language, Software, and Data Needs.- Using Simulation Methods to Estimate the Cost of Policy Choices.- A Dynamic Systems Approach to Examining Sentencing Alternatives.- Assessing Correctional Treatment Outcomes with Simulation Techniques.- A Discrete-Event Simulation Model of Heroine Use and Treatment Over the Lifecourse.- Using Evidence-Based Research to Inform Model Assumptions.- Developing Synthetic Data for Criminal Justice Simulation.- The Growing Use of Simulation Techniques by Sentencing Commissions.- Creating and Sustaining Organizational Support for Simulation Use.- Maintaining Agency-Based Simulation Models.- The Benefits of Using Simulation from Criminal Justice Education.