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More than 1,000 people had their probation revoked in 2014, adding to the prison population and driving up costs, according to new research by the Council of State Governments Justice Center.

The Incarceration Issues Committee heard reasons for those revocations on Tuesday: Some quit showing up to see a probation officer, some continued using drugs, and some committed new crimes.

The 16-person committee is charged with studying the state's criminal justice system and potential reforms during the interim session.

Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle said much of the public would hear about the probation revocations and ask: "If they are going to fail, shouldn't they have been in prison anyway?"

But researchers from the Justice Center said failures in probation indicate North Dakota could improve how it supervises people in the community.

In the current environment, probation and parole officers lack the resources they need to supervise people effectively, said Katie Mosehauer, project manager at the Justice Center.