Dewan Thompson, Lucy Tsado
Evaluation Proposal
July 22nd, 2019
Lamar University
Summer Semester
CRIJ 5330
Evaluation Proposal
Evaluand Identification
Identification of the actual concern is recognized as the first step of evaluation to offer better prospects in future. The stage of evaluation identification makes it possible for the researcher to identify different dimensions of the actual feature of concern critically. The focal point of concern is to critically examine the current positioning of the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation. Detailed examination of the current functioning of the department allows identifying basic issues that require the necessary and immediate action plan.
The reality of the operations of the department indicates that there is a need to offer better practical measures to address the growing concern of recidivism. Statistics in case of recidivism clearly illustrate that some alternative approaches need to be adopted to reduce the growing rate of recurrence in the community. The theoretical concept of recidivism is defined as the actions of the individuals repeating an undesirable action even after the negative consequences. It is critical for the shareholders to explore the actual reasons for this issue and to identify what preventive measures can be useful in the future. The intensity of the growing issue of recidivism rate demands to follow different steps of the evaluation process to identify the possible practical options (Desmarais, Johnson, & Singh, 2016). Consideration of the evaluation process helps to identify the potential causes of the problem and offer suitable practical measures.
Evaluation Paradigm
The phase of evaluation paradigm permits to develop systematic practical framework according to the actual requirements of the situation. Consideration of the evaluation paradigm is also viable in case of the growing issue of recidivism rate. It is noteworthy to indicate that the idea of an evaluation paradigm comprised of different practical strategies and techniques to attain the desired outcomes. It is critical for the main stakeholder to select the suitable evaluation paradigm according to the nature of the issue. There are four main types of evaluation paradigms that can be used to identify the actual reasons for the problem. These four models identified as ‘quick and dirty’, usability testing, field studies, and predictive evaluation. The nature of this particular research work demands to select field studies as the preferred evaluation paradigm to gain required information about the work activities of the California Department. Identification of the practical actions of the department in the natural environment will be a useful approach to determine the actual contribution of the stakeholders to correct the issue.
Evaluation Design
The evaluation design is characterized as the comprehensive structure that provides valuable information about the different concerns relevant to the main issue. It is crucial to indicate that the broad idea of evaluation design comprised of two facets identifies as process and outcomes. The information gained by the phase of evaluation design can be helpful to make better inferences about the overall procedure of the evaluation (Mertens & Wilson, 2012). This piece of information further helps to identify the potential outcomes in case of increasing concern about the recidivism rate.
Identifying Stakeholders
Clear exploration of all the stakeholders is essential to determine the actual intensity of the issue of recidivism. This form of consideration can be further helpful to find out the possible solutions to the growing rate of recidivism. Classification of all the concerned entities is also integral to evaluate the effectiveness of the CDCR in the form of providing better well-being programs for the inmates. The entities of police, sheriffs, prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, parole agents, offenders, advocates of the victim, and social service representatives are characterized as the main stakeholders when it comes to successful evaluation of the rehabilitation services offered by CDCR.
Evaluation Types
There are enormous types of evaluation that can be established as the options for the researcher to attain a better understanding of different aspects of the issue. Selection of the most appropriate type of evaluation is necessary to attain the desired outcomes of assessment in a feasible manner. The common type of outcome/effectiveness is proposed to make better inferences about the overall success of the program. The approach of outcome evaluation can be helpful for the evaluator to measure the effectiveness of the CDCR in the context of a particular population of the community. A critical assessment of the overall progress of the program is essential to define the current position of the CDCR and how it can be improved in the future by offering different practical measures. This type of evaluation assists to identify specific areas that fail to deliver according to the actual agenda of the rehabilitation program for the prisoners.
Data Collection Strategies
Selection of suitable data collection strategies is also one critical step of the evaluation to gain desired knowledge about the actual concern. It is vital for the assessor to adopt the most feasible option for the data collection to acquire the most relevant information. Qualitative method of data collection is proposed to attain valuable information from the major stakeholders. The approach of qualitative data allows the assessor to gain deep information about the growing issue of recidivism critically. Different approaches to data gathering are the options in the context of qualitative data strategy. Diverse qualitative techniques such as interviews, observation, and participant observation are the preferred techniques that can be used to attain desirable facts about the problem of increasing recidivism rate in California. A detailed observation about different events and conversation with main stakeholders established as the practical domains to find out the actual areas of concern.
Data Analysis
Data analysis is characterized as one of the critical stages to examine the overall effectiveness of the evaluation program. This particular approach is also critical in the context of evaluating the effectiveness level of the CDCR. Proper and correct analysis of the collected information makes it possible for the evaluator to explore the problematic features that eventually cause the growing rate of recidivism for the inmates. The information in the form of data analysis provides clear direction to the assessor to figure out all the concerned factors to understand the overall structure of the CDCR programs. There are options of different analytical and statistical instruments for the evaluator to successfully achieve the prospect of data analysis. It is also essential to assess the importance of data analysis in the context of an evaluation plan offering for the CDCR. Identification of the actual reasons for the insufficient approach of the CDCR is possible by analyzing the information shared by different stakeholders.
Writing Report
The process of evaluation can never recognize as complete approach without adopting the prospect of writing report. It is mandatory for the assessor to illustrate all the valuable information and share it in the form of a report to the concerned entities. This practical approach will eventually help the concerned entities to understand the nature and intensity of the issue. Furthermore, it is a helpful domain to identify the actual aspects or features that cause the growing concern of the increasing recidivism. The documentation of each aspect of the issue guides the policymakers to understand the complexity of the problem and adopt useful measures in the result. Presentation of the evaluation in the form of the written report is the useful measures to enhance the awareness level of the audience about the concern of increasing statistics in case of recidivism.
Sharing Results
Sharing results are the mandatory part of the entire procedure of evaluation in the context of the actual issue. Undoubtedly, it is one significant opportunity for the assessor to describe all the critical information about the issue of recidivism. It is important to define what is the actual issue aligned with the possible causes of this issue. Considering the issue of the accelerating rate of recidivism in the area, it is one effective measure adopted by the assessor to comprehensively assess this particular issue. Different stages of the evaluation process help assessor to identify various dimensions of this particular issue.
The option of data collection helps the assessor to ensure the active involvement of different stakeholders in case of performance of the organization of CDCR to overcome the growing issue of recidivism rate in the community. Expressing different views from different entities guides assessor to examine the actual position by evaluating the involvement of different concerned individuals. Valuable information attained through the data collection process provides valuable information about the real aspects that hinder the desired approach in case of the problem of recidivism. Systematic application of the evaluation process can rank as a helpful form of knowledge to identify the actual concerns of the inmates. The results of the procedure clearly reveal that there is a need for reconsidering the overall planning process when the institution of CDCR is committed to providing better services of rehabilitation to the prisoners.
Mata-Evaluation
The process of meta-evaluation is widely used by the evaluators to examine the performance of the ongoing program. This particular approach can be a helpful paradigm to better figure out the actual performance of the organization of CDCR. This form of evaluation is the one good technique to evaluate the potential strengths and weaknesses of the current program. This form of evaluation can be used to propose some corrective measures for the current program prevails in the scenario of CDCR. It is vital to determine that the addition of some practical measures can be beneficial for the CDCR to enhance the approach of rehabilitation for the prisoners. The option of meta-evaluation assists to recognize that there is a need for better programming in case of minimizing the growing rate of recidivism. This particular objective can only meet by understanding the actual concerns of the prisoners when it comes to their prospect of rehabilitation. It is suggested for the entity of CDCR to critically focus the mental health concerns of the prisoners. Adoption of various strategies is necessary to make the process of rehabilitation useful for the inmates. Another crucial aspect of consideration is that there is a need to offer some comprehensive prison rehabilitation programs according to the actual needs of the prisoners. The mental stability of the inmates is only possible by offering alternative practical measures. These practical aspects can define specifically in the form of different counseling therapies, school programs, and job training programs.
Project Management
The successful approach of the evaluation process can never attain without the proper application of the systematic form of project management. It is utmost crucial for the policymakers to evaluate the performance of the program on a regular basis to examine the actual effectiveness of the practical program for the benefits of inmates. Project management is the primary factor to achieve desired outcomes from the propose evaluation program in the scenario of the performance of CDCR. Regular assessment of the program helps to identify the areas of concern and adopt new strategies to minimize the recidivism rate by offering better counseling approaches to the prisoners. Proper project management also makes it easy for all stakeholders to identify their actual responsibilities and act according to the requirements.
References
Davis, L. M., Bozick, R., Steele, J. L., Saunders, J., & Miles, J. N. (2013). Evaluating the effectiveness of correctional education: A meta-analysis of programs that provide education to incarcerated adults. Rand Corporation.
Desmarais, S. L., Johnson, K. L., & Singh, J. P. (2016). Performance of recidivism risk assessment instruments in US correctional settings. Psychological Services, 13(3), 206.
Mertens, D. M., & Wilson, A. T. (2018). Program evaluation theory and practice. Guilford Publications.
Vito, G. F., & Higgins, G. E. (2014). Practical program evaluation for criminal justice. Routledge.
Wolfgruber, H. C. (2010). Reducing Recidivism in the State of California: An Evaluation of California's Prison and Parole Programs.