Schedule Xiv-B: Performance Measure Validity and Reliability

LRPP EXHIBIT IV: PERFORMANCE MEASURE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

Department: Department of Corrections Program: Workforce Development and Transition Services Service: Adult Offn Trns/Rehab/Sppt Measure: Percent of inmates who successfully complete transition, rehabilitation, or support programs without subsequent recommitment to community supervision or prison for 24 months after release

Action (check one):

Requesting Revision to Approved Measure Change in Date Sources or Measurement Methodologies Requesting New Measure X Backup for Performance Measure

Data Sources and Methodology:

Data Sources:

(a) Offender Based Information System (OBIS) Screens Used: DC32 screen for the participation of 100-hour transitional courses. (b) Program participation data (Specter, Post-Release Job Placement, and Post Pre-Apprenticeship) provided by the Office of Workforce Development and Transition Services. (c) SAS Files Used to Extract Data – PROGEE (Program Enrollment/Exit), Recommitment Extract File.

Methodology:

(a) A given year/cohort of releases who have successfully completed transition, rehabilitation, or support programs before their release dates (like "TRANPRG","PWRTP", Specter) or immediately after their release dates (like Post-Release Job Placement, and Post Pre-Apprenticeship). (b) Inmates who return to either community supervision or prison w/in 24 months of release; (c) Inmates who return for any reason are counted in the recommitment pool. (d) Pool does not include the following: 1. CMP from the Private facilities; 2. Facilities which provide less than 100 hours’ transitional courses.

Procedure: (a) For a given year of releases, count the number of inmates who successfully completed the programs. (b) Then in each case, track the inmate for 2 years after being released from prison to determine if the inmate returns to the department as a community supervision offender or a prison inmate for any reason.

Validity:

Methodology:

The information originates from OBIS, which contains several internal edits to ensure that the data entered is valid. Internal validity speaks to the certainty with which results of this measure can be accepted. Staff has used the DC32 screen for over 15 years, with the listings continuously being verified and checked and accepted with a high level of certainty. External validity speaks to the results being applicable to other similar programs and approaches.

Appropriateness

This is an appropriate measure of the frequency/number of times this purpose is met. The department needs to be able to demonstrate the extent and types of program needs among inmates completing transition, rehabilitation or support services, as well as the overall utilization of existing program services. In addition, the measure provides a clear, understandable measure for the general public to see the extent of the department’s efforts in ‘rehabilitative’ programming to reduce the likelihood of inmates completing transition, rehabilitation or support programs being recommitted to community supervision or prison within 24 months following release.

Reliability:

Methodology:

This measure uses department research files that, once they are created, are not changed. Therefore, we can reproduce any measure that originates from these research files.

Reliability of Measure:

Information regarding inmate releases is reliable and can be reproduced. Specific information on each inmate released is available (i.e., each inmate that is counted in this measure can be identified). Office of Policy and Budget – July, 2006