NCJ Number
207542
Date Published
September 2002
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This report presents the findings of a process evaluation of the Network Program of the Episcopal Social Services (ESS), which currently operates in nine correctional facilities and four work-release facilities in New York, holding regular therapeutic group meetings in both prison and the community.
Abstract
The purpose of the process evaluation was to determine how the program has been implemented, how it may be improved, and the types of offenders it has attracted. Evaluation researchers observed Network Program meetings in several correctional facilities and in the community, interviewed ESS and corrections staff, participated in Network Program training sessions, and reviewed program documents. The evaluation determined that the successful implementation of the program rested on three elements: building relationships with counselors and officers to create a sense of shared mission and an expectation of cooperation; providing corrections staff with tools and assistance to oversee the program; and encouraging extended communication between corrections staff and ESS. The data indicate that the prison-based program has attracted long-term, violent offenders. This may be due to these inmates' desire to have an orderly and peaceful social life while in prison. This trend has shifted the program's focus away from preparation for reentry and toward adjustment to prison life. On the other hand, the community-based program has generally attracted minority drug offenders. This program has remained focused on reentry priorities and meeting participants' postincarceration needs. A particularly helpful aspect of the community groups is the involvement of participants' family members, which has facilitated communication between ex-offenders and their families in dealing with postincarceration issues.