Implementation of the West Virginia Offender Reentry Initiative: An Examination of Staff Attitudes and the Application of the LSI-R

• NCJ Number: 217049
• Author(s): Stephen M. Haas Ph.D.; Cynthia A. Hamilton M.S.; Dena Hanley Ph.D.
• Date Published: July 2006
• Length: 44 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2002-RE-CX-0062
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Sale Source: Mountain State Criminal Justice Research Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: West Virginia Offender Reentry Initiative: Report II; see NCJ-217048 for Report I.

Annotation

This study examined the impact of correctional staff attitudes on support for the West Virginia Offender Reentry Initiative (WVORI) and the extent to which the WVORI has been properly implemented.

Abstract

Results of the evaluation suggest that attitudes and values of correctional staff may be having an impact on the implementation process. While most correctional staff were moderately supportive of offender reentry programs, only 4 in 10 correctional staff reported high support for the West Virginia Offender Reentry Initiative (WVORI). Nearly 3 in 10 correctional staff reported low level of support for the WVORI. However, study findings found that support for the WVORI had increased since its implementation. The findings illustrate that as correctional staff become more human service oriented and less punitive toward inmates, the results can be a greater support for programs rooted in evidence-based practices such as the WVORI. The West Virginia Department of Corrections has accomplished a great deal with the development and implementation of the WVORI. The WVORI officially began in July 2004. The WVORI is a structured program to help inmates make a satisfactory transition upon their release from incarceration. It is designed to provide a continuum of reentry services to offenders as they transition from prison to the community. The core components of the reentry initiative are the prescriptive case management system (PCMS) and the use of the Level of Service Inventory-Revised (LSI-R). The LSI-R is a standardized risk-needs assessment instrument. This report is the second in a series of research applications designed to convey the results of an ongoing process evaluation of the WVORI. The study builds on the initial research by assessing the level of change in support for the WVORI, as well as the use of the LSI-R and the newly developed PCMS. A total of 172 surveys were delivered to correctional staff assigned to each of the 12 correctional facilities in the State. Tables, graphs, and references