RESEARCH
The Effect of Horticultural Community Service Programs on Recidivism
Summary
The study’s design is a quantitative comparison of recidivism rates among offenders based on the type of community service completed. The central purpose was to determine whether offenders who completed community service in horticultural settings had different incidences of reoffending compared to those in non-horticultural indoor or outdoor settings, or those who received no community service. This research is important as it investigates the potential of horticultural activities to play a significant role in reducing recidivism, which is a major contributor to the high cost and large inmate populations in the United States. The study focused on offenders from a single county in Texas, drawing data from official probation and agency reports.
The methodology involved collecting data from offender profile probation revocation reports, agency records, and community service supervision reports covering a 57-month period. A random sample of 477 case numbers was selected and coded based on demographics, offense type, amount and type of community service completed (categorized as horticultural, non-horticultural indoor, or non-horticultural outdoor), and whether recidivism occurred. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square tests to compare recidivism rates across the different community service groups and a group that had no community service.
