Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) is an intensive supervision program that aims to reduce crime and drug use while saving taxpayers' dollars spent on jail and prison costs.
[1] The HOPE model was started by Hawaii State Judiciary First Circuit Court Judge Steven Alm in an effort to address what he viewed as a farcical probation system.
To address the high rates of recidivism, Judge Steven Alm focused on delivering swift, certain and proportionate sanctions to those who failed to comply with the rules.
Those found guilty face a short stint in jail - usually 2 - 3 days, but this number increases with repeated violations.
Participation in a HOPE "warning hearing" is the mandatory first step for a person after being recommended by his or her probation officer and being accepted by the judge.
Probationers are required to call the hotline recording every weekday of their probation and listen for the randomly selected colors of the day.
Probationers whose colors are named in the recording are required to report to the downtown Honolulu courthouse the same day for drug testing between 6:30AM and 2:30PM HST.
A probationer found to have violated the terms of probation is immediately sentenced to a short jail stay (typically several days servable on the weekend if employed, but increasing with continued non-compliance), with credit given for time served.
[2] Alm's inspiration stemmed from a mid-1990s presentation by David M. Kennedy about an intensely supervisional deterrence program for Boston youth gangs, called Operation Ceasefire.
[4] However, several more long-term studies, funded by the National Institutes of Health, were not able to replicate the earlier promising findings.
HOPE assumes that specific deterrence is the key to enforcing compliance with probation conditions and reducing recidivism.
An Under-Emphasis on Active Key Ingredients: HOPE emphasizes drug and alcohol treatment, but that is only one of several factors leading to criminal behavior.
To truly impact recidivism, HOPE must also target antisocial attitudes, associates, and behavioral patterns; familial relationships; problems in education and employment; and poor use of leisure time.
Failure to Identify Alternative Explanations for HOPE's Effectiveness: James Finckenauer has used the term "panacea phenomenon" to describe initiatives that, "with very little criminological or empirical scrutiny, arise, are quickly embraced, and are imposed on the wayward with very little understanding of their true impact.
And when jurisdictions exhaust their ability to improve swiftness and certainty, they will seek to reduce violations and recidivism with the only component of punishment remaining in their arsenal: severity.
"[11] The above assessment relies heavily on the work of Hawken and Kleiman, faculty members at the School of Public Policy.