Abstract
Recent research has focused on high rates of parolee recidivism in California and examined solutions to combat this trend. Various programs have addressed criminogenic needs of parolees, including healthcare, housing, literacy, vocational and substance abuse treatment. This study uses an action research approach to examine the implementation of a Parolee Day Treatment program in a densely populated urban center characterized by crime, drugs, gang activity, and parolee failure. Parolee participants in this study, ineligible for other programs because of their serious criminal histories, discuss their need for encouragement and instrumental support, their belief that they are "on their own", and their fear about the communities in which they live. Organizational factors which undermine program implementation and parolee success are identified, including high rates of parolee, parole agent, and administration turnover; and parole centralization, leading to a disconnect between parolees and their parole agents.

Connie Ireland, Ph.D.
California State University, Long Beach
Connie Ireland received her M.A. in Social Ecology in 2001 and Ph.D. in Criminology, Law & Society in 2003, both from the University of California, Irvine. From 1990-2003, Dr. Ireland was a sentencing consultant in Orange County, developing intermediate sanctioning alternatives for criminal offenders with substance abuse histories. In 2003, Dr. Ireland joined the Criminal Justice faculty at California State University, Long Beach, where her research focuses on intermediate sanctions and corrections. Her most recently completed research project, "Women in Parole," resulted in two peer reviewed journal articles, three conference presentations, and commendations from the United States Congress, the California Senate, the California House of Representatives, and the Pendergast Parole Museum. With her colleagues at CSULB, she was recently awarded a multi-year grant to study the impact of substance abuse aftercare for drug addicted parolees in the State of California. E-mail: cireland@csulb.edu