FY 2011 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects: Evaluability Assessment of the Beaver County (PA) ChancesR: Reentry, Reunification, and Recovery Program

• NCJ Number: 243988
• Author(s): Janeen Buck Willison; Kelly Walsh; Lara Markovits
• Date Published: September 2012
• Length: 29 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-R2-CX-0032
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation
• Award: FY2011 Adult SCA Evaluability Assessment ??? Focus Area #1

Annotation

This study conducted an evaluability assessment (determination of whether a project is a candidate for meaningful evaluation) of the Beaver County (Pennsylvania) ChancesR: Reentry, Reunification, and Recovery Program, a FY 2011 Second Chance Act (SCA) demonstration site, whose grant-mandated goals are to increase reentry programming for returning prisoners and their families; reduce recidivism of program participants by 50 percent over 5 years, reduce parole violations, and improve reintegration outcomes.

Abstract

The ChancesR program is a highly structured approach for identifying and treating offenders with substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders who are transitioning into the community after release from jail. The evaluability-assessment (EA) team concluded that impact, outcome, process, and cost analyses will likely produce actionable information for the practitioners, program developers, and policymakers regarding reentry for offenders with complex behavioral health issues. The recommendation for an impact evaluation is based in the EA team's identification of a viable comparison group in a neighboring county. In addition, program operations are stable; program objectives and procedures are well-defined, and case flow is steady. Sustaining the program's current evaluability assessment, however, depends on the continuity of supplemental funding after the current grant period ends in September 2013. The description of program operations addresses the selection and enrollment of the target population; pre-release and post-release core components; and training and technical assistance. This EA assessment also reviews the program's data elements, data sources, systems, and strategies. EA data collection activities involve a review of program materials and documents; an analysis of the Bureau of Justice Assistance's aggregate performance data; pre-visit phone interviews; and site visits and semi-structured interviews. 3 exhibits, 6 references, and appended SCA logic models