NCJ Number
205307
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 39-40
Editor(s)
Larry Motiuk
Date Published
December 2003
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article briefly reviews the evaluation and assessment process of an offender’s participation in corrections reintegration programs under the Correctional Service of Canada.
Abstract
Offender participation in correctional programs is a priority of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). The evaluation of an offender’s participation in correctional programs is an integral part of managing each offender’s risk and reintegration potential; it reflects directly to public safety. At the site where the program will be offered, a Program Board completes a review and confirms that the case management program referrals are appropriate. Interviews with candidates are completed to further assess their readiness to attend, reconfirm that the program selection criteria is met, and prioritize which offenders will attend. After an offender has been accepted into a correctional program, the program officer completes a structured interview with the candidate and administers a battery of psychometric tests which are designed to assess the participants’ attitudes, characteristics, knowledge, and skills as they relate to their criminogenic needs. The data from the psychometric tests are used to assess the extent to which the participant benefited from the program. The test battery data also deliver information as to whether the program is effective and that information can be used to make improvements to the program content and staff training. However, there is identified barrier to this process, in that much of the data collection relies on manual procedures. There are attempts to develop and design an application to manage the test battery data from a central location with a correctional program performance measures application under review for development in the future. The benefit is to improve the availability of test battery data while incorporating quality assurance as part of the design of the automated system. Monitoring correctional programs is critical to understanding their impact. An automated performance measures application will improve this monitoring process.