The Role of Information in Changing Offender Behavior, Criminal Justice System Actions, and Policy Maker Decisions

• Author: Daniel P. Mears
• Published date: 01 August 2014
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12102
• Date: 01 August 2014

POLICY ESSAY

PAYING RESTITUTION

The Role of Information in Changing

Offender Behavior, Criminal Justice System

Actions, and Policy Maker Decisions

Daniel P. Mears

Florida State University

In Ruback, Gladfelter, and Lantz’s (2014, this issue) study, we learn something simple

and profound—that providing probationers with basic information about their resti-

tution payment obligations, such as how much they owe, increases the likelihood that

they will make payments. The benefits (i.e., increased payments) seem to exceed greatly the

labor time and postage costs of providing restitution information to probationers.

There is, of course, the question of why. Perhaps the letters reminded probationers of

their obligation and led them to view restitution as the morally right thing to do. Perhaps,

more simply, the letters reminded them of what they were supposed to do and provided

pragmatic information on which they could act (e.g., the amount due and where to send

payments). The latter explanation seems the most plausible. For example, as part of the

experimental design, the researchers provided one group with the information along with

a rationale for why the probationers should pay. Including the rationale did not seem to

lead to more payments and, indeed, could have reduced them. (Probationers might have

resented being told what to do or the idea that they were being judged.)

Many interesting implications flow from this study. For example, what if providing

information can change probationer behavior more so than can threats? What if sanctions

were structured in ways that did not rest solely on the notion of fear (i.e., deterrence),

moral change, or rehabilitation, but rather the sanctions included a focus on providing

information about obligations associated with probation? Even a small improvement might

provide benefits that have ripple effects throughout the correctional system. For example, a

considerable number of individuals in prison today are there because they previously had a

“shot” at probation and failed in some way (e.g., through new crimes or violations of the

My thanks to Andrea Lindsey for research assistance in developing this essay. Direct correspondence to

Daniel P. Mears, Mark C. Stafford Professor of Criminology, College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida

State University, 112 South Copeland Street, Eppes Hall, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1273 (e-mail: dmears@fsu.edu).

DOI:10.1111/1745-9133.12102 C2014 American Society of Criminology 441

Criminology & Public Policy rVolume 13 rIssue 3