NCJ Number
50314
Date Published
1978
Length
192 pages
Annotation
THIS MANUAL PRESENTS A PROGRAM EVALUATION MODEL AND DESCRIBES FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION PROCEDURES AND THE EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY POLICING PROGRAM ON VANCOUVER ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.
Abstract
FUNCTIONAL GOAL EVALUATION IS THE FORM OF PROGRAM EVALUATION ADVOCATED TO AID DECISIONMAKERS, USUALLY PUBLIC OFFICIALS, IN EXAMINING ATTITUDES, OPINIONS, AND FEELINGS OF INDIVIDUALS TOWARD PARTICULAR ASPECTS OF A PROGRAM. FIVE STEPS ARE INCORPORATED IN THE EVALUATION APPROACH: (1) IDENTIFY GOALS AND DIRECTIONS OF A PROPOSED OR ONGOING PROGRAM; (2) SPECIFY ACTIVITIES OR CRITERIA THAT HELP AN ORGANIZATION PERFORM PARTICULAR FUNCTIONS (ARTICULATING GOALS, COORDINATING EFFORTS, USING RESOURCES, AND ACHIEVING SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY); (3) IDENTIFY THE VALUE OR USEFULNESS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES TO VARIOUS GROUPS; (4) EVALUATE THE CAPACITY OF A PROGRAM'S ACTIVITIES TO SATISFY THE NEEDS OF EACH GROUP; AND (5) DEFINE THE OVERALL LEVEL OF PROGRAM SUCCESS FOR RESPONDING TO NEEDS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY. STAGES OF FUNCTIONAL GOAL EVALUATION ARE PROGRAM DEFINITION, CRITERIA FORMULATION, DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, AND THE PREPARATION OF AN EVALUATION REPORT. EACH STAGE INCORPORATES CERTAIN PRINCIPLES OF EVALUATION RESEARCH AND INCLUDES A NUMBER OF SEQUENTIAL STEPS. THESE FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION PROCEDURES ARE DESCRIBED AND ILLUSTRATED. THE FUNCTIONAL EVALUATION MODEL IS USED TO CONCEPTUALIZE THE ABILITY OF A COMMUNITY POLICING PROGRAM ON VANCOUVER ISLAND IN ACCOMPLISHING PROGRAM ACTIVITIES CATEGORIZED WITHIN FOUR FUNCTIONAL ENVIRONMENTS: GOAL ATTAINMENT, ADAPTATION, INTEGRATION, AND PATTERN MAINTENANCE. A QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, JUVENILES IN CONFLICT WITH THE LAW, THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, AND POLICE. OF 202 QUESTIONNAIRES DISTRIBUTED, 159 OR 78 PERCENT WERE RETURNED. THE OVERALL PROGRAM, WHILE SOMEWHAT MORE FUNCTIONAL FOR SOME GROUPS, HAD NEITHER A FUNCTIONAL NOR DYSFUNCTIONAL IMPACT ON SPECIFIC GROUPS IT WAS INTENDED TO SERVE. ACTIVITIES THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED AS PART OF THE PROGRAM WERE SUGGESTED THAT PERTAINED TO CRIME PREVENTION, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, TRAFFIC CONTROL, COMMUNITY EDUCATION, ADMINISTRATIVE COORDATION AND EFFICIENCY, AND THE PUBLIC IMAGE OF THE POLICE. RATING DATA FROM THE VANCOUVER ISLAND STUDY AND A FUNCTIONAL GOAL EVALUATION WORKBOOK ARE APPENDED. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (DEP)