Breaking the Cycle: Why a Shift in Mindset is Key for Community Corrections Success

In both society and community supervision, one phrase has long been used to justify the status quo: “We’ve always done it that way.” While tradition can offer stability, real progress requires a willingness to rethink, adapt, and improve. Across industries, innovation has led to efficiency gains and better outcomes—so why should community supervision be any different?

The reality is, the landscape is shifting. With increasing caseloads, officer burnout, retention problems and rising expectations for accountability, doing things “the way we’ve always done them” isn’t just ineffective—it’s unsustainable. The good news? We have the tools to change this.

What’s Working: Strategies That Drive Real Change

Rather than just talking about doing things differently, forward-thinking agencies are taking action. Here’s what’s making an impact:

Partnering with Community-Based Organizations for Support
Community supervision systems are starting to recognize that traditional supervision alone isn’t enough. Community-based organizations are becoming essential partners in providing support for individuals on probation. By connecting individuals to local resources, such as employment programs, housing support, and mental health care, agencies are seeing a dramatic improvement in successful outcomes. A study published in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology evaluated a one-day restorative justice program conducted by the Community Justice Center. The study compared recidivism rates of probationers who attended the program with those who did not between 2006 and 2010. The findings revealed that participants who attended the restorative justice program had recidivism rates ranging from 30% to 35%, whereas non-participants had rates between 66% and 70% over a six-year follow-up period. This significant reduction highlights the potential of community-based restorative justice interventions. (Garbin et al.)

Leveraging Technology to Improve Efficiency

Automated Reporting Systems: Utilizing electronic self-reporting tools enables probationers to check in remotely, reducing the need for in-person visits and allowing officers to focus on higher-priority tasks.

Mobile Applications: Developing apps that facilitate communication between probation officers and clients can streamline scheduling, reminders, and resource sharing, thereby enhancing compliance and engagement.

Focusing on Skill Development, Not Just Supervision
Courts and agencies integrating cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI) into probation requirements are seeing significant improvements. Research shows these approaches reduce recidivism rates by 25%, compared to supervision alone (Lipsey et al., 2005). The key takeaway? Supervision alone doesn’t create change—skill-building does.

The Time for Change Is Now

This conversation isn’t new—but the urgency is. With shifting expectations, and increased demands for efficiency, agencies that fail to adapt will fall behind. Those that embrace modern, data-driven approaches won’t just improve outcomes—they’ll create a system that works better for everyone.

The question isn’t if change is coming. It’s who’s willing to lead it.

The Crossroads Difference

This is precisely why NCTI developed the Crossroads® curriculum. Our approach isn’t about minor adjustments to an existing system – it’s about fundamentally reimagining how we address recidivism, support behavior change, and foster rehabilitation.

What distinguishes Crossroads from traditional programs? Our curriculum is firmly grounded in evidence-based strategies that have been rigorously tested and proven effective. The Building Blocks for Behavioral Change that form the foundation of our work are designed to create lasting, meaningful change through cognitive behavioral approaches.

Why Traditional Approaches Fall Short

Let’s examine some limitations of traditional methods:

One-Size-Fits-All Approaches
Traditional systems often apply identical interventions to everyone. At NCTI, we recognize that each person’s circumstances, history, and needs are unique. Our Real Colors® personality instrument helps facilitators understand temperament differences and adapt their approach accordingly, meeting individuals where they are in their journey. Incorporating Real Colors as part of our Complete Behavioral Change System allows facilitators to begin to understand their participants through a different lens even before introducing the curriculum. This leads to improved communication and increased positive outcomes.

In addition to being personalized through the Real Colors lens, our Crossroads programming is also highly specific—one of the key reasons we see such strong outcomes. Unlike traditional, generalized approaches, our curriculum is intentionally designed to meet individuals where they are. We tailor our programs by:

Age – with separate curriculum paths for youth and adults
Risk level – with programming for low, medium, and high-risk
Identified needs – with topic-specific content such as Anger Management, Drugs & Alcohol, Parenting and more.

Consequences Over Rehabilitation
Many traditional approaches emphasize consequences rather than behavior change. NCTI’s model focuses on the development of an individualized understanding of the relationship between values, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to the decision-making process. We create supportive environments that allow for skill development and growth.

Rigid Program Structures
Traditional programs often lack flexibility to address diverse needs. Crossroads offers an interactive learning process that ensures a variety of learning styles are addressed, providing opportunities for the individual to practice newly acquired skills in a supportive environment.

Resistance to Innovation
When we say, “we’ve always done it that way,” we close ourselves off to new insights and research. NCTI continuously evolves our approach based on the latest evidence, ensuring our programs remain effective and relevant.

Moving Forward Together

The good news is that we already have the tools and strategies needed to create meaningful change in our community supervision systems. NCTI has been developing offense and risk-specific cognitive curricula and training that drives successful outcomes across the country.

Are you ready to move beyond “what we’ve always done” and embrace a program that effectively reduces recidivism and creates lasting impact? Add the Crossroads curriculum to your list of tools to help you provide your clients a clear pathway forward, resulting in building stronger, safer communities.

Together, we can change the conversation around community supervision and demonstrate that there’s a better way to empower individuals, strengthen communities, and drive success. Because at NCTI, we know that behavior change starts here.

Sources:

Garbin , C., McChargue, D., & Scalora, M. (n.d.). Program research. Community Justice Center. https://communityjusticecenter.org/about-cjc/cjc-program-evaluation/

Landenberger, Nana & Lipsey, Mark. (2005). The positive effects of cognitive–behavioral programs for offenders: A meta-analysis of factors associated with effective treatment. Journal of Experimental Criminology. 1. 451-476. 10.1007/s11292-005-3541-7.