Problem Solving Approaches to Issues of Inmate Reentry in Indianapolis, Indiana, 2000-2003 (ICPSR 30281)

Version Date: Oct 8, 2012

Cite this study |

Principal Investigator(s):
Edmund F. McGarrell, Michigan State University; Natalie Kroovand Hipple, Hudson Institute. Crime Control Policy Center; Duren Banks, Caliber Associates

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR30281.v1

Version V1

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Summary

This study involved an evaluation of the reentry component of the Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP). The IVRP included a problem solving approach to the issue of inmate reentry. On the basis of a problem analysis, the IVRP officials decided to implement a pilot project that involved having recently released inmates attend a neighborhood-based group meeting convened by criminal justice officials and including community representatives and service providers. The meetings were based on the notion of combining deterrence and social support (linkage to services). The pilot project was evaluated using a quasi-experimental design. The treatment group consisted of 82 former inmates who attended one of five meetings. The comparison group consisted of 103 former inmates released at the same time period as the treatment group but in a different neighborhood. Reentry lever-pulling meeting participants and comparison group members were tracked for a period of up to 24 months to determine whether they had been re-arrested during the study period.

Citation

McGarrell, Edmund F., Kroovand Hipple, Natalie, and Banks, Duren. Problem Solving Approaches to Issues of Inmate Reentry in Indianapolis, Indiana, 2000-2003. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2012-10-08. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR30281.v1

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Funding

United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (2000-CE-VX-0002)

Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

District

Restrictions

Access to these data is restricted. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete a Restricted Data Use Agreement, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research.

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2000 -- 2003

Date of Collection

2000 -- 2003

Data Collection Notes

  1. The baseline sample data and the data from interviews and focus groups with ex-offenders and service providers referenced in the project's report (McGarrell, Hipple, and Banks, 2004; NCJ 203922) are not available as part of this data collection.

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Study Purpose

The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of reentry programming on the risk of failure through the evaluation of the reentry component of the Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP).

Study Design

The Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP) included a problem solving approach to the issue of inmate reentry. On the basis of a problem analysis, the IVRP officials implemented a pilot project that involved having recently released inmates attend a neighborhood-based group meeting convened by criminal justice officials and including community representatives and service providers. The lever-pulling meetings were based on the notion of combining deterrence and social support (linkage to services). First meeting officials delivered the message that violence in the community would not be tolerated, and then they described the social services available to the former inmates to help their transition.

The pilot project employed a quasi-experimental design. The treatment group consisted of 82 former inmates who attended one of five meetings. The comparison group consisted of 103 former inmates released at the same time period as the treatment group but in a different neighborhood. The meetings were rotated geographically throughout the city so both treatment and comparison groups were drawn from the three targeted areas of the city. The principal outcome measure was re-arrest. Reentry lever-pulling meeting participants and comparison group members were tracked for a period of up to 24 months to determine whether they had been re-arrested during the study period. Data on prison releases were obtained from the Indiana Department of Corrections and re-arrest data were obtained from the Marion County JUSTIS System criminal records system. Arrest data were only obtained on arrests within Marion County and did not include arrest information that may have occurred outside of the county.

Sample

The pilot project sample was originally comprised of 200 offenders, however 15 offenders were dropped from the final dataset due to missing data. The 185 individuals in the final sample had valid follow-up end points and re-arrest data and were released from prison to Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana, between June 2000 and October 2001. The treatment group consisted of 82 former inmates who attended one of five meetings. The comparison group consisted of 103 former inmates released at the same time period as the treatment group but in a different neighborhood.

Time Method

Longitudinal

Universe

All prison inmates released to Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana, between June 2000 and October 2001.

Unit(s) of Observation

individual

Data Source

Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) release data for Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana

Marion County JUSTIS criminal records system

Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection

Description of Variables

The study contains a total of 62 variables including demographics, group assignment (control or treatment group), information about the lever-pulling meeting, and criminal records. Data on participant's criminal record included release date, whether individual was re-arrested, number of prior misdemeanor arrests, number of prior felony arrests, number of total prior convictions, number of times on probation and parole, number of times in Department of Corrections, arrest date following release from DOC, number of days to recidivism, length of stay in DOC, type of criminal charge, and intake date. Regarding demographics, the dataset has questions on the participant's age and race.

Response Rates

Not applicable.

Presence of Common Scales

None.

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Original Release Date

2012-10-08

Version History

2018-02-15 The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented. The previous citation was:
  • McGarrell, Edmund F., Natalie Kroovand Hipple, and Duren Banks. Problem Solving Approaches to Issues of Inmate Reentry in Indianapolis, Indiana, 2000-2003. ICPSR30281-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2012-10-08. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR30281.v1

2012-10-08 ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

  • Standardized missing values.
  • Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
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Weight

None.

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions. Restricted data files are not available for direct download from the website; click on the Restricted Data button to learn more.