Does judicial monitoring deter domestic violence recidivism? Results of a quasi-experimental comparison in the Bronx.

A growing number of courts mandate convicted domestic violence offenders to ongoing judicial monitoring. However, the effectiveness of monitoring has barely been examined with this population. Accordingly, matched samples were created between 387 offenders sentenced to judicial monitoring in the Bronx and 219 otherwise similar offenders whose sentences did not include monitoring. Propensity score matching techniques were used to balance the samples on arrest charges, criminal history, relationship to victim, and other case characteristics. The study found that judicial monitoring failed to reduce the re-arrest rate for any offense, for domestic violence, or for domestic violence with the same victim.