Transportation Resources

• Transportation resources are resources provided by the officer/supervision agency to the client to help them access transportation.
• Transportation can be public (e.g., bus, metro) or private (e.g., Uber, Lyft, taxi).
• Resources can come in the form of vouchers, fare passes, or even officers calling a taxi or Uber for the client.

• Transportation resources are usually provided in two ways:
  • as an incentive for clients who comply with the conditions of supervision (for example, some programs provide clients with bus passes for every negative drug test the client provides showing they have not used drugs recently)
  • on a scheduled basis to help clients comply with supervision conditions and get where they need to go (for example, the officer may provide the client with bus passes to help them get to work, a treatment center, or the supervision agency office)

How Can They Be Used to Monitor Compliance?

• Transportation resources are intended to help the client and should not be used to monitor compliance.

How Can They Be Used as a Supervision Tool?

• Transportation resources help the client find employment, attend treatment, meet with the supervision officer, and otherwise get where they need to go.
  • This can help clients remain in compliance with supervision conditions (e.g., attending treatment) and complete the supervision process.
  • Some evidence suggests that clients without access to transportation may be less likely to come to the supervision office for scheduled visits, making them more likely to abscond.

What Are the Costs of Transportation Resources?

• Transportation resources can be expensive depending on the price of transportation in the area and the frequency with which they are given to the client.
  • Resources for public transportation may be less expensive than those for private transportation.

• Supervision staff report that transportation resources are
  • sometimes appropriate for all low-risk clients and
  • always appropriate for all medium- and high-risk clients, except for those who have committed intimate partner violence, for whom they are sometimes appropriate.

Compliance Level

• Supervision staff report that practical incentives like transportation vouchers are
  • sometimes appropriate for low-risk clients in low, moderate, or high compliance with the conditions of supervision and
  • always appropriate for medium- and high-risk clients in low, moderate, or high compliance with the conditions of supervision.

Client Outcomes

• Evidence indicates that access to reliable transportation is essential for clients to succeed on supervision.
  • Transportation to and from the supervision office is necessary for clients to attend regular check-ins with the officer.
    • Clients without access to this may be more likely to abscond.
  • Transportation to and from treatment (mandated or voluntary) is necessary for clients to maintain physical health, mental health, and overcome issues like drug addiction.
  • Transportation to and from a place of employment is necessary to obtain and maintain a job.
    • Some employers will not hire individuals who do not have access to reliable transportation to work.
  • Transportation is empowering since it allows clients to move around freely. This can build self-efficacy and lead clients to feel more in control of the direction of their lives.
• Providing clients with transportation resources can help them improve their lives, comply with supervision requirements, and experience self-efficacy.
• Providing clients with transportation resources may help establish the officer as a helper in the eyes of their client, building their working alliance.

Are Transportation Resources an Evidence-Based Practice?

• Transportation resources are an evidence-informed practice.
  • Studies have not specifically looked at whether officer-provided transportation resources are beneficial.
  • Research has established that many people on supervision have difficulty accessing reliable transportation, and clients without access to reliable transportation experience worse supervision and personal outcomes than those with access.

What Do People Formerly Involved in the Criminal Legal System Think About Transportation Resources?

• People with lived experience in the criminal legal system (the “criminal justice” or “legal” system is referred to as the criminal legal system in this document) report that transportation resources are sometimes appropriate for all low-, medium-, and high-risk clients.

Communication That Strengthens the Officer-Client Relationship (Messaging)

• Officers should ask clients which locations pose transportation challenges.
  • Officers should work with clients to identify what kinds of transportation resources would be most helpful in reaching these locations.
• In addition to their practical benefits to the client, officers should use transportation resources to build the officer-client relationship.
  • Officers should take the opportunity to establish themselves as helpers when providing transportation resources.
  • Officers should be clear that they want the client to succeed on supervision and point out that providing transportation resources is one way the officer can help with this.