This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of Cook County's (Illinois) Day Reporting Center (CCDRC), which serves as a community-based alternative to incarceration for Cook County's male pretrial defendants.
CCDRC participants are selected from among pretrial defendants in the Electronic Monitoring program (EM), which is a community-based supervision program for nonviolent offenders. Selecting CCDRC participants from the EM program ensures that only defendants who pose no threat to the community are allowed to participate. The selection process is important, since CCDRC participants are unsupervised during evenings and weekends, even though they are technically in the custody of the Cook County Department of Corrections. Participants are required to report to the CCDRC Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 8 p.m. A day of programming consists of lectures, support groups, counseling, or time spent in the computer lab. Services include drug testing, treatment and recovery, basic life skills, violence prevention, literacy, job skills training, GED preparation, and job placement. To assess the long-term impact of the CCDRC program, the evaluation examined rearrest and reincarceration rates of participants following their discharge. Nearly 1,400 participants who entered the program during 1995 were tracked through the management information system at the Cook County Jail and the criminal history records systems of the Chicago Police Department and the Illinois State Police between 1995 and 1998. Based on its findings, the evaluation concluded that the CCDRC has had a positive effect on reducing post-release recidivism. This report also identifies factors that influenced recidivism, such as length of time in the CCDRC program. 4 figures and 1 table