An Empirical Overview of Searches and Seizures for Persons on Federal Post-conviction Supervision

While the policies governing federal searches are well developed, there have been relatively few efforts to investigate which types of offenders are most likely to be searched, the extent to which searches are associated with an offender’s recidivism risk characteristics, and whether the use of searches improves community safety through either seizure of contraband or reductions in recidivism. The author analyzes data on these topics and discusses the results.