III. Behavior and Change:
Information Tools

This arsenal of information tools allows staff to know offenders' whereabouts at almost all times, and to know a great deal about their activities as well.

In stark contrast to office-based supervision, behavior management requires a shift toward true "community supervision." Supervision that relies on office visits fails to provide staff with the information needed to adequately supervise offenders, especially high-risk offenders. These face-to-face contacts between staff and offenders are limited, often to once per month or once per week, and conducted in an artificial and often distracted environment that cannot provide a meaningful portrayal of offenders' progress.

Community supervision gives staff a chance to gain knowledge of offenders' conduct robust enough to meaningfully implement supervision plans and behavioral contracts. It urges staff to identify the people who play an important role in offenders' lives and cultivate relationships with them, with just as much care and attention as the relationships with offenders themselves. Community police officers seek better information about their beats by developing relationships with local residents and merchants.

Community supervision staff must build trust with the people who can provide information about offenders, and who may also be able to support their attempts to change behavior. A healthy number of human sources, plus a level of technological monitoring appropriate to an offender's level of risk, allows staff to make real-time adjustments in sanctions and services to maximize recidivism reduction.