On TRACC- Social impact investment and recidivism: A field experiment with high-risk parolees

This report is an evaluation of the On TRACC Social IMPACT Investment. In July 2016, the New South Wales (NSW) government announced Australia’s first criminal justice SII; the On TRACC (Transition, Reintegration, and Community Connection) program for high-risk parolees. On TRACC was designed to complement existing parole supervision by providing extra support services, and ultimately, reduce parolee recidivism. The report studies the effectiveness of the On TRACC program in reducing recidivism compared to existing supervision services. High-risk parolees released between September 2016 and September 2018 were randomly assigned to either the On TRACC program or the comparison group.

It did not find evidence that participation in the On TRACC program led to a reduction in parolee recidivism in comparison with existing services provided by NSWCC. Despite this, the On TRACC SII demonstrates that it is possible for the public, private, and NGO sectors to work in partnership and inform evidence-based policy.