50 State Reports
Supervision Violation Data Snapshot
States across the country saw changes in their prison admissions and populations due to supervision violations in 2020. But some states were already experiencing reductions in violation admissions and population prior to the pandemic. This snapshot shows available supervision violation data for Massachusetts from 2018 through 2020.
From 2018 to 2020, Massachusetts saw a 14 percent decline in the number of prison admissions due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
| Total Admissions | Violation Admissions | Technical Violation Admissions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2327 | 237 | 174 |
| 2019 | 2200 | 265 | 218 |
| 2020 | 956 | 205 | 145 |
| Total | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total admissions | 2,327 | 2,200 | 956 | |
| Total Violation admissions | 237 | 264 | 205 | |
| Probation admissions | 17 | 13 | 3 | |
| Parole admissions | 220 | 252 | 202 | |
| Total Technical Violation admissions | 174 | 218 | 145 | |
| Probation admissions | ||||
| Parole admissions | 174 | 218 | 145 | |
| Total New Offense admissions | 46 | 34 | 57 | |
| Probation admissions | ||||
| Parole admissions | 46 | 34 | 57 | |
From 2018 to 2020, Massachusetts saw a 24 percent decline in the number of people in prison due to supervision violations.
The breakdown
| Total Population | Violation Population | Technical Violation Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 8044 | 209 | 114 |
| 2019 | 7602 | 209 | 115 |
| 2020 | 6282 | 159 | 78 |
| Total | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 8,044 | 7,602 | 6,282 | |
| Total Violation population | 209 | 209 | 159 | |
| Probation population | 15 | 12 | 9 | |
| Parole population | 194 | 197 | 150 | |
| Total Technical Violation population | 114 | 115 | 78 | |
| Probation population | ||||
| Parole population | 114 | 115 | 78 | |
| Total New Offense population | 80 | 82 | 72 | |
| Probation population | ||||
| Parole population | 80 | 82 | 72 | |
Additional State Notes
For both admissions and population, Massachusetts did not provide technical violation and new offense violations data for probation. Only people who violate probation with sentences that include both a period of probation and a period of prison incarceration are included in the count of admissions due to probation violations.
The reason for a probation violation (i.e., new offense or technical) is not identified in the data. Admissions due to parole violations include people detained and released without revocation. All admissions include only people who are sentenced for a criminal conviction and excludes transfers from or between other jurisdictions outside the Department of Corrections.
Technical parole violations may include people who ultimately receive a new felony conviction.
Whether an incarceration is the result of a new offense or technical violation is often difficult and problematic to delineate, even in states with available data. Most states do not consider a supervision violation to be the result of a new offense unless a new felony conviction is present, meaning technical violations may include misdemeanor convictions or new arrests. "Prison" includes county jail if the county was reimbursed by the state for a person’s incarceration, which occurs in some, but not all, states. Supervision violations may include revocations (i.e., unsuccessful terminations of a supervision and completion of a sentence in prison or jail) or short-term sanctions (i.e., probation or parole jurisdiction is maintained and the person is incarcerated for a short period of time in prison or jail). Not all states impose or include short-term sanctions in their count of supervision violations.