Transition from Prison to Community Initiative

1. Transition from Prison to Community Initiative MPRI Performance Measurement November 18, 2004

2. Information: Key to a successful MPRI • To implement MPRI successfully, officials need accurate and timely information about offender transition so they can: • Identify problems and needed changes • Design and implement reforms • Manage delivery of supervision and services to individual offenders under those reforms • Make more informed decisions about improving reforms.

3. Why Performance Measures? Performance Measures answer Big questions: • Is a reform being implemented as intended? • Are there problems with the reform (or how it is being implemented) that require modification? Operational questions: • Is program “X” recruiting the expected number of inmates? • Are staff adequately trained in new procedures?

4. How can Performance Measures be Used? • Example: Reading scores for inmates completing an in-prison education program declined from September to December after rising for the previous four quarters. • Response: Manger asks if: • Program changed in a significant way? • Inmates changed • Different recruitment procedures? • Different inmate profile?

5. Why Performance Measures? • Performance Measures: • Let agencies manage to improve performance. • Improve coordination among agencies • Increase efficiency so resources can be re-deployed • Let partners better achieve their respective missions • Cement reforms into agencies’ standard operating procedures that survive changes in leadership, revenue shortfalls, etc.

6. A Performance Measure • Is an indicator of the extent to which a desired result is being achieved • Is calculated using two or more objective pieces of data • Usually is reported at specific intervals over time

7. Four Kinds of Performance Measures • Process Measures • Intermediate outcomes • Outcomes • Impacts

8. Four Kinds of Performance Measures • Process Measures -- measurements of actions and procedures by which reforms are implemented. • Example: Number of high-risk inmates per month who enter into a prison-based vocational training program.

9. Four Kinds of Performance Measures Intermediate Outcomes: changes produced by reforms that are expected to alter outcomes. Example: Percent of inmates with employment objectives in their TAPs who complete prison-based vocational training programs before release.

10. Four Kinds of Performance Measures Outcomes: the long-term goal(s) of reforms. Example: Percent of released offenders who get jobs within 30 days of release, and who retain those jobs for at least 180 days.

11. Four Kinds of Performance Measures Impacts: are the broad desired effects of changes in outcomes. Example: Percent of offenders released under MPRI who are convicted of new crimes within 3 years of their release.

12. Performance Measure Uses • Performance Measures are used to • Improve planning • Inform policy choices • Manage MPRI reforms more effectively

13. Example: Improve Planning • Executive Management Team asks: • What percent of TAPs include treatments or interventions aimed at offenders’ top 4 dynamic risk factors? • Are there adequate resources in a pilot site to fully deliver services specified in offenders’ TAPs who are released to that site?

14. Example: Inform Policy Choices • Governor wants to know if MPRI has • Improved public safety • Reduced costs by avoiding the need to build more prisons • Improved • Offender employment • Public health

15. Example: Manage MPRI reforms • A field services supervisor wants to know if • TAP completion rates vary in different parole offices within a region. • Revocation rates have changed as expected.

16. Performance-based Management • Benefits far exceed costs • Use of objective performance measures breaks down staff resistance to change • More fair way to assess staff accomplishments • Gives staff tangible sense of achievement • Motives staff by presenting clear and attainable objectives.

17. Abt’s Information Specialist will • Provide assistance to an information sharing and performance measurement work group re: • Assessing existing data sharing capacity • System mapping • Developing offender profiles • Defining performance measures • data elements needed • sources of data • Designing TAP • Developing an information management strategy to support • TAP • Performance Measurement • Feedback for planning and policy choices

18. Abt’s Information Specialist will • Provide technical assistance to designated performance measures work group • Build capacity of Michigan officials to share information and to implement and use performance measurement • Provide information, examples, and linkages to other sites and projects dealing with similar problems

19. Abt’s Information Specialist will • Work with Michigan officials to build their capacity • On site • Mentoring • Coaching • facilitating • Off site • Video and audio conferences • Materials and linkages • Give priority to sites (such as Michigan) that are actively working on performance measurement and information sharing.

20. Abt’s Information Specialist will Work with and through the Michigan Site Coordinator (PPA) to: • Provide technical assistance on information sharing and performance measures • Coach Michigan officials to manage existing information resources so as to improve: • Planning for improved reentry • Transition case management, • Use of performance measurement

21. EMT Planning, Refinement of MPRI Performance Measures: Reports aggregated data for policy or management decisions MPRI “Knowledge Base” Multiple sources of information about offenders that can be shared to support planning, case management and performance measurement Includes MIS, Paper files, Stand-alone data bases & Other sources Drug Treatment Others DOC Health Jobs TAP Reports (case management for individual offenders)

22. Ideal Vision • An automated information sharing capacity that “embeds” information sharing within partnering agencies’ standard operating procedures. • Protects MPRI from threats • Revenue shortfalls • Turnover (especially at the top) • Over the long haul, automated information sharing is • Cheaper • More accurate and complete • Most up-to-date

23. Integrated Information Flow • “Electronic” data generates TAP report on-demand. • Case managers/parole officers update TAP by entering data on-line. • Data Entry immediately updates the appropriate data base in a partnering agency • Subsequent TAP report pulls updated data from agencies’ MIS into MPRI Knowledge Base • Updated information in Knowledge Base is used to compute appropriate Performance Measures • Updated Knowledge Base is used as input for future prison assessments, if offender returns to prison.

24. Reality Check • The automated information flow may take time to achieve. • Need an interim information sharing strategy to get reforms up and going. • Need a plan to move from the interim system to the automated information flow.