NCJ Number
250713
Date Published
December 2016
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This fourth of five fact sheets on the planning, design, implementation, and maintenance of a jurisdictional arrest alert system (AAS) provides guidance on the components and methods necessary to conduct basic performance monitoring and evaluation of an AAS.
Abstract
The fact sheet first notes the importance of performance monitoring as a vital tool in determining whether an AAS is operating as intended and is achieving the expected outcomes. It then discusses the identification of performance measures, which are specific and quantifiable measures that indicate whether and to what extent the AAS is achieving its intended goals. Examples of performance indicators for monitoring and evaluating an AAS include criteria for priority arrests; the identification of specific individuals, charges, and locations as priorities; priority arrest volume; engaging with partners; and use by prosecutors. After discussing the identification of performance measures, the fact sheet focuses on the creation of a logic model, which is a visual diagram that displays how resources are transformed into activities and how these activities are linked to particular outcomes. The fact sheet discusses the development of additional quantitative performance measures, which pertain to the quantitative measure of the degree to which the AAS has achieved its intended outputs, as well as immediate and intermediate outcomes. The development of a process evaluation is also discussed, which pertains to the documentation of policies, procedures, organizational structure, technological resources, and the characteristics of those using the AAS. The fact sheet contains a sample web-based survey that addresses prosecutors' use of the AAS and their contact with other criminal justice entities. 1 figure