A critical element of evidence-based practices is measurement. As the influential Washington State Institute for Public Policy states, “We systematically assess evidence on what works and what does not to improve outcomes.” Only then can policymakers know what programs to fund and continue for public benefit.
The BI Day Reporting Center programs deliver community corrections agencies a number of metrics to measure program success. A recent snapshot from the Fresno County DRC program, a collaboration of the Fresno Probation Department and BI, highlights some of the positive results policymakers expect and the public deserves.
At the Fresno County DRC, a recent review of Level of Service Inventory-Revised scores (LSI-R), used to measure offender risk and needs, found clients were much less prone to commit criminal behavior after they left the program. Since the center was opened in May 2011 until end of June 2012, for example, offender risk for recidivating was reduced from 67.4% to 49.8% — a 26% change. A more recent three-month time frame – from April through June 2012 – found client risk to recidivate had been lowered an impressive 30%.
At the same program, substance abuse problems are assessed using ASAM criteria for clients in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment Groups. These groups, coupled with frequent contact with the onsite Substance Abuse Therapist, ensure accountability and progress toward sobriety. In the last three months at the Fresno County DRC, discharged clients who spent at least 120 days or longer in the program have sustained a 24% improvement in sobriety. In fact, only 7% of clients in the program for more than 120 days have been found to use alcohol. For clients with a history of alcohol abuse, these are positive figures.