Evaluation of a Local Jail Training Program in Sacramento County, California, 1994-1995 (ICPSR 2582)

Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)

Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection

Hide

Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

In October 1993, the California Board of Corrections and the federal National Institute of Justice (NIJ) entered into a cooperative agreement under NIJ's "State Evaluation Capacity Building Program" initiative. Under this initiative, the Board of Corrections proposed to conduct process and outcome evaluations of jail inmate training programs. The proposal resulted from the Board of Correction's newly-acquired responsibility to disseminate federal Perkins Act funds to local jurisdictions in California. The Perkins Act was established to fund local jail inmate training operations. The purpose of the evaluation research was (1) to refine the process of determining what types of training should be funded and (2) to establish research-based evaluation protocols for local jail inmate training programs. Researchers chose to evaluate the Office Technology Training program at the Rio Consumnes Correctional Center (RCCC) in Sacramento County. Researchers sought to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent do inmates who achieve a certificate of completion in at least one component of Office Technology Training differ in their institutional adjustment and post-release behavior from inmates who choose no training? (2) Does the training group achieve better results than the control group in the post-release setting with respect to institutional adjustment, employment, and legal behavior?

Study Design View help for Study Design

This project was designed as a process and outcome evaluation of job training programs for jail inmates in California. The first step was to decide which programs to evaluate. At the time the project began, the California Board of Corrections had funded three training programs. After an initial assessment of these programs, two of the three were disqualified for evaluation because: (1) the goals of the training program were not specifically stated, (2) class attendance was not recorded, (3) there was no tracking system for the inmates participating in the training, which inhibited the ability to monitor post-release status, and (4) it was difficult to obtain a reasonable control group. The result of the initial assessment was that the Rio Consumnes Correctional Center (RCCC), run by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, was the only feasible evaluation site. RCCC is a county jail for prisoners sentenced up to one year in custody. The training program at RCCC was operated by the Elk Grove Unified School District. While RCCC had several training programs, the one chosen for evaluation was the Office Technology Training program. This program was designed to familiarize students with the use of computers in an office or business setting and to provide specific instruction in several types of common office software, including word processing and desktop publishing. The program evaluation was conducted using administrative records data and a survey of program participants. Inmates who participated in the training at RCCC were asked to fill out an evaluation form indicating their prior experience with computers and software, evaluating the training they received, and assessing whether the new skills would be helpful in securing employment upon their release. Data were collected from participants of the Office Technology Training class, a control group that matched the participants in terms of demographic characteristics, and a smaller group of nonparticipants who had signed up for the training program but did not participate. Part 1, Treatment and Control Group Data, contains administrative and survey data on both the trainees and the control group, while Part 2, Nonparticipant Data, includes administrative and survey data on the inmates who registered for the training but did not participate in the program. Administrative records on all inmates (trainees, control, and nonparticipants) were collected from a supplemental form on inmates' employment, a probation report that provided personal and criminal histories, a risk assessment form, and a follow-up form completed by the probation officer within one week of the six-month anniversary of the inmate's release from RCCC. Additional administrative records data on trainees and nonparticipants were gathered from the class registration form, while other data on trainees came from an evaluation form completed by the students' instructor upon completion of the Office Technology class.

Sample View help for Sample

Convenience sampling.

Universe View help for Universe

All minimum security housing inmates at the Rio Consumnes Correctional Center in Sacramento County, California, in 1994.

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Source View help for Data Source

Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)

Description of Variables View help for Description of Variables

Variables from the class registration form included gender, education, birth date, ethnicity, language spoken, occupation, Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) scores, and class assignments. The instructor's evaluation form provided information on the behavior, attitude, and skills of the students. Variables from the supplemental form included employment type and wages. The study evaluation form gathered information on previous computer training and students' evaluations of the Office Technology class. The probation report covered employment, education, military history, marital status, substance abuse, domestic violence, gang behavior, psychiatric history, child abuse history, and criminal histories as juveniles and adults. Data on attitude, alcohol and drug problems, number of felony convictions, probation periods and violations, types of offenses, and history of institutionalization were taken from the risk assessment form. The follow-up form gathered information on release, disciplinary actions at RCCC, opinions about the Office Technology Training program, substance abuse, new arrests and convictions, gang behavior, job training, employment type, hourly wage, job satisfaction, and use of computers on the job.

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

Not applicable.

Presence of Common Scales View help for Presence of Common Scales

Several Likert-type scales were used, as well as the Test for Adult Basic Education (TABE).

Hide

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2000-07-27

Version History View help for Version History

Hide