46 percent of individuals with intervention fees had their probation revoked; 23 percent were revoked for technical violations, and the other 23 percent were revoked for new offenses.
Intervention fees or programming fees for mandated services, such as drug testing and treatment, mental health services, class or program participation, community service, or electronic monitoring, are an obstacle to those under community supervision. This study examines the impact of intervention fees on both intervention compliance and probation outcomes. The author used records from one Texas Community Supervision and Correction Jurisdiction to calculate intervention fee totals for individuals on probation between 2012 and October 2019. Probation outcomes were categorized into three groups: successful completion, revocation due to technical violations, and revocation due to recidivism (i.e., a new arrest or conviction). Findings indicate that the more money people owed in intervention fees, the more likely they were to have their probation revoked. Compliance with mandated programs was a key pathway through which fees influenced outcomes, suggesting that the cost of interventions may shape whether probationers succeed or fail under supervision.
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Key Findings:
- Approximately 95 percent of individuals on probation were required to pay intervention fees.
- Intervention fees varied widely: sex offender programs averaged over $2,100, batterer intervention programming about $640, SCRAM/Soberlink monitoring around $860, and substance abuse counseling about $356.
- The average intervention fee was $320.75 (median: $140).
- Compared to individuals who completed probation, those revoked for new offenses owed a median of 49 percent more in intervention fees, and those revoked for technical violations owed 12 percent more.
- The regression analysis showed that for every increase in total intervention fees, the odds of revocation increased by 33 percent for technical violations and 29 percent for recidivism.
- Individuals revoked for technical violations owed a median of $185, 12 percent higher than successful completers.