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Session Title: Timing Considerations in Evaluating Corrections Programs: How Context, Maturity of Program and Audiences Can Influence the Evaluation Process
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Panel Session 138 to be held in Wekiwa 10 on Wednesday, Nov 11, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
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Sponsored by the Crime and Justice TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Marian Kimball Eichinger, The Improve Group, mariane@theimprovegroup.com
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| Abstract:
While recidivism rates are often the primary indicator of success in corrections programs, a valuable and relevant question is whether it is possible to utilize alternative measures and designs to determine "success" in such programs. We will host a lively discussion on the successes and challenges of evaluating release programs in corrections. Three evaluators will bring their experience and expertise in evaluating corrections programs to discuss how timing can influence an evaluation by way of data gathering context, program maturity, reporting audience, and relevant outcomes. Our panel will facilitate this discussion using examples from our own evaluation experiences that had differing data collection contexts, levels of program maturity, and end results that uncovered both unique and standard outcomes of success.
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Life Skills Program Evaluation: Evaluating a Release Program Prior to Release
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| Marian Kimball Eichinger, The Improve Group, mariane@theimprovegroup.com
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The Minnesota Department of Corrections designed a Life Skills program for incarcerated men and women at four correctional facilities. The program was developed after a comprehensive process that involved piloting portions of the program at one facility, developing relationships with partners, and conducting a needs assessment. The result was a long-term, personalized program to teach life skills in areas such as self-development, relationships, conflict management, making community connections, and generally improving behavior upon release. The evaluation was conducted while the program was in progress and utilized a variety of data collection methods including a needs assessment, participant interviews, class observations and an outcome survey. Results show that the Life Skills program significantly and positively impacted program participants. The panel discussion will raise the question of whether it is possible to determine the success of a program such as this while the participants are still incarcerated.
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Minnesota Comprehensive Offender Re-entry Plan (MCORP): Using a Randomized Experimental Design to Evaluate a Prisoner Re-entry Project
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| Grant Duwe, Minnesota Department of Corrections, grant.duwe@state.mn.us
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In 2008, the State of Minnesota implemented the Minnesota Comprehensive Offender Re-entry Plan (MCORP), a prisoner re-entry project. Based on the premise that offender re-entry begins as soon as offenders are admitted to prison, MCORP emphasizes increased collaboration between institutional caseworkers and supervision agents to provide planning, support, and direction for offenders to address their strengths and needs in both the institution and the community. It is hypothesized that MCORP will increase the extent to which offenders access employment, suitable housing, and programming in the community, which will lead to a reduction in recidivism. To evaluate whether MCORP is meeting these objectives, the Minnesota Department of Corrections has implemented a randomized experimental design in which eligible offenders have been randomly assigned to either the experimental or control groups. The presentation will focus on the challenges involved in preserving the integrity of a randomized experimental design implemented within a correctional setting.
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Evaluating a Community-Based Release Program Under Legislative Mandate in a Short Demonstration Phase Timeframe
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| Rebecca Stewart, The Improve Group, beckys@theimprovegroup.com
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This presentation explores independent evaluation methods and design for a community-based Minneapolis release program; both the program and the evaluation were funded by the Minnesota Legislature. This context provided the evaluator with access to State Corrections data and a mandate to evaluate the program in just over a year. The program was in a demonstration phase during this year, with program and data collection systems still developing throughout the evaluation. While this is short time frame to form findings on recidivism outcomes for an evolving program, the program and legislators wanted to achieve evaluation results that would inform whether or not state funding should be continued for the program. The presenter, the evaluation research manager, will explore challenges in gathering data in a community-based demonstration program, identifying appropriate outcomes for a short time frame evaluation and balancing the demands of different audiences in reporting.
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