NCJ Number
72678
Date Published
1975
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This is the first part of the evaluation of the Santa Clara County Probation Department's Community Release Project (CRP) conducted by the General Research Corporation (GRC). GRC's preliminary evaluation methodology is proposed here, subject to approval.
Abstract
The methodology is defined in terms of the CRP objectives, measurable evaluation criteria, and proposed procedures for gathering the data required to assess the criteria. The four project objectives include (1) reducing by 25 percent the number of juveniles who are detained pending a Court Jurisdictional Hearing (JH); (2) assessing CRP ability to prevent further offenses before the JH date and assure the juvenile's appearance at the JH as effectively as detention in Juvenile Hall; (3 and 4) establishing over a 2-year period if the program is more effective than detention in long-term behavior and in providing useful decisionmaking information to court and probation Officers. Measurable evaluation criteria are proposed for each objective; e.g., for the first objective, measuring the reduction in the number of juveniles detained, detention days, and cost savings due to CRP. In addition, special procedures have been devised to measure each of the criteria; e.g., criterion 1.1 will be measured in numbers and percent reduction calculated monthly using the Screening Form prepared daily. Other evaluation forms used to gather the data are: CRP Client Data Form, Client Comprehensive Report, Client Detention Activity Report, and the Long-Range Follow-up Form. In addition, questionnaires of a sample of CRP and control group participants will be submitted to judges and probation Officers for assessing the usefulness of the information submitted to them in determining dispositions.