The Use of Day Reporting as an Intermediate Sanction: A Study of Offender Targeting and Program Termination

Abstract

The 1994 North Carolina Structured Sentencing Act led to the increased use of intermediate sanctions such as day reporting centers. This study evaluates offender targeting and program termination among a sample of 204 offenders who were sentenced to a day reporting center (DRC) in a southeastern North Carolina county. Despite sentencing guidelines, judges sentenced some offenders to the day reporting center who were ineligible. Issues of net-widening and judicial compliance are addressed. Results show that the rate of program termination was high. Logistic regression analysis shows some offender characteristics that affect the likelihood of termination from the DRC.