The Recidivism Reduction Initiative principal investigators from UTC include (from left) Department of Criminal Justice faculty members Dr. Andrew Denney, Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt, Dr. Gale Iles and Dr. Sherah Basham.
Hamilton County Alternative Sentencing Programs, in partnership with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has been awarded an $844,294 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) as part of the Second Chance Act Smart Supervision Program.
The three-year project, titled the Recidivism Reduction Initiative (RRI), is designed to improve public safety by reducing recidivism rates among justice-involved individuals in Hamilton County’s misdemeanor supervision programs. Hamilton County is the lead on the project, with UTC’s Department of Criminal Justice providing research and data analysis to assess program effectiveness and measure outcomes. Click here for the Hamilton County announcement.
Recidivism is defined as the act of someone committing a crime again after having already been punished or gone through the justice system for a previous offense. It refers to how often people return to criminal behavior after being released from jail, prison or another form of correctional supervision.
The RRI will be managed through Hamilton County’s Alternative Sentencing Programs, with a focus on implementing evidence-based supervision strategies and providing essential services to participants.
“This grant is going to allow us to implement risk/needs assessments and a new incentive/consequence matrix,” said Dr. Rick Dierenfeldt, a UC Foundation associate professor and one of the project’s principal investigators—along with his criminal justice colleagues Dr. Andrew Denney, Dr. Gale Iles and Dr. Sherah Basham. “The initiative is really about evidence-based, trauma-informed strategies for dealing with offenders, many of whom have experienced substance abuse or early childhood traumas, known as adverse childhood experiences. By addressing these needs, we hope to reduce recidivism and improve community safety.”
The RRI will serve approximately 1,200 to 1,400 individuals annually in Hamilton County’s misdemeanor supervision program. In 2023, the program saw about 600 petitions to revoke probation—with roughly 300 due to new arrests, Dierenfeldt said—underscoring the critical need for more effective intervention strategies. The RRI aims to improve outcomes for participants by providing resources such as cognitive behavioral therapy, trauma-informed care and substance abuse treatment.
“Getting a federal grant like this is an incredible opportunity,” said Denney, an assistant professor of criminal justice who joined the UTC faculty in 2023. “This particular grant was awarded to only eight projects nationwide, which shows just how unique this initiative is.
“The hope is to reduce recidivism overall and—of course—to implement all these other different risk/needs assessments and things of that nature. We’re going to help Hamilton County construct a new database from the ground up, and we’ll be assessing the program along the way to ensure that it’s working as intended, using baseline data to measure the program’s growth and impact on recidivism.”
Five essential components of the initiative include:
- Risk/needs assessments: The RRI will implement the Ohio Risk Assessment System to tailor supervision strategies to individual needs.
- Hiring a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW): The LCSW will work directly with participants, offering cognitive behavioral therapy and case management for high-risk individuals.
- Community-based alternative sentencing officer: This officer will conduct home visits and meet participants in their communities to better support those with transportation and mobility challenges.
- Participant needs fund: A special fund will cover essential services, such as transportation, housing or work-related expenses, for participants when other resources are not available.
- Data collection and analysis: UTC will collect and analyze data to assess the program’s effectiveness in reducing recidivism and improving participant outcomes.
“We are excited to partner with Hamilton County on this critical initiative,” Dierenfeldt said. “By implementing evidence-based practices and gathering valuable data, we will be able to make informed decisions that support the successful re-entry of individuals into the community.”
Hamilton County is taking the lead on this initiative with support from multiple stakeholders, including judges, probation officers and service providers across the county.
“This initiative is designed to create a cohesive support network for participants,” Dierenfeldt explained. “Our collaboration with Hamilton County Alternative Sentencing Programs is a prime example of how data-driven research and community engagement can come together to make a tangible difference.”
The RRI will officially launch in January 2025 and run through September 2027. As the research partner, UTC will provide ongoing analysis of program outcomes, including recidivism rates, compliance with supervision and the overall effectiveness of interventions offered to participants.
“This partnership allows us to focus on the data side of the project while ensuring that the funding primarily benefits the community,” Dierenfeldt said. “Our role is to measure the effectiveness of these interventions and make recommendations based on the evidence we gather over the next three years.”
Denney emphasized the collaboration that will take place with Hamilton County and among his colleagues and the impact it will have on students.
“Not only will the Recidivism Reduction Initiative impact the local community, but it will also offer invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for UTC students,” he said. “This grant funds a graduate student’s education for three years. They will be involved in day-to-day data management, drafting reports and analyzing program effectiveness—an opportunity that’s rare at universities of our size.”
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