Evaluation of the Illinois Department of Corrections PreStart Program, Executive Summary

• NCJ Number: 156056
• Author(s): T C Castellano; I Soderstrom; C L Ringel
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 92-DB-CX-0017
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services; Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the PreStart program, which fundamentally reshaped the parole system in Illinois by preparing inmates for life after prison and helping them adjust to the community following their release.

Abstract

PreStart deemphasizes the surveillance and supervision functions of parole, while emphasizing referrals to social services that might help inmates reintegrate into society. PreStart contains two distinct phases, prerelease education and postrelease assistance. This evaluation was based on PreStart written documentation, staff and inmate questionnaires, follow-up interviews with released inmates, site observations, and recidivism data. The evaluation found that the Illinois Department of Corrections had done a commendable job in developing an innovative inmate reintegration program while working with inadequate resources and a correctional culture not previously oriented toward improving inmate behavior. Although PreStart has not lived up to its potential, particularly in terms of delivering postrelease assistance and services, the Department is moving toward fulfilling the promises embodied in the original PreStart philosophy.