Prison education programs, graduated sanctions for parole violations, and electronic monitoring for those on probation can significantly reduce recidivism, improve public safety, and reduce criminal justice spending, an issue brief from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts finds. Based on an analysis of select Department of Corrections, parole, and probation programs and practices in Massachusetts, the brief, Massachusetts' Evidence-Based Approach to Reducing Recidivism (6 pages, PDF), found that education, vocational education, and job assistance programs for inmates reduced recidivism by 19.2 percent, 18.2 percent, and 6 percent, respectively, with a net benefit to society of $6.60, $5.58, and $19.01 for every dollar invested in such programs.