Acknowledgments

Dr. Avinash Bhati is the founder and CEO of Maxarth LLC, a data science company providing creative solutions to real-world problems and opportunities. Bhati earned a Ph.D. in econometrics from American University in 2001. He is interested in all aspects of data science, including predictive modeling, quasi-experimental evaluations, micro-simulation models, and synthetic data tools. Bhati has developed and validated numerous pretrial and post-adjudication risk assessment instruments.


Stephanie Kennedy produced this report, with support from Cameryn Farrow and other members of the Council on Criminal Justice team. The team is grateful to Aaron Rosenthal for his work on the 2023 analyses.

The 2023 analyses and methodology were reviewed by Hugh Hurwitz, President of HJH Advisors and a former Acting Director of the federal Bureau of Prisons, and by Gerald G. Gaes, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar at Florida State University in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice and former director of research for the Bureau of Prisons. Neither necessarily endorsed the findings or conclusions.

Support for this project comes from The Just Trust, as well as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and other CCJ general operating contributors.


Suggested Citations

Council on Criminal Justice. (2024). First step act: An early analysis of recidivism. https://counciloncj.foleon.com/first-step-act/fsa/

Council on Criminal Justice. (2024). Time sentenced and time served: Exploring the impact of the first step act. https://counciloncj.foleon.com/first-step-act/fsa/2024-impact-on-time-served

Council on Criminal Justice. (2023). Technically speaking: Accounting for technical violations in first step act recidivism. https://counciloncj.foleon.com/first-step-act/fsa/technical-violations