RTI International RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute. Evaluation of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Tribal Green Reentry Program Christine Lindquist RTI International Ada Melton American Indian Development Associates

RTI International 2 OJJDP’s Tribal Green Reentry Program  OJJDP’s Tribal Youth Program funds federally recognized tribes for delivery of services designed to:  Prevent justice system involvement among youth  Facilitate successful reintegration among youth who reside in tribal juvenile detention centers  Three tribes were funded to provide holistic reentry programming to incarcerated or reentering youth with a focus on education and training in “green” technologies:  Hualapai Indian Tribe  Rosebud Sioux Tribe  Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

RTI International 3 Tribal Green Reentry Program Evaluation Goals  To ensure that the lessons learned by these innovative programs are captured for future practitioners, OJJDP funded a process and outcome evaluation of the three programs. RTI International and American Indian Development Associates (AIDA) were contracted by the Library of Congress (LOC)* to conduct the evaluation.  Evaluation goals include:  Documenting the implementation of the three Tribal Green Reentry Programs  Determining the extent to which the programming has had the intended impact on the youth and communities being served *OJJDP released funds to the Library of Congress (LOC) to fund the evaluation.

RTI International 4 Tribal Green Reentry Program Evaluation Partnerships  In carrying out the evaluation, RTI and AIDA will work with OJJDP and the funded tribes, alongside OJJDP’s TJDR Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA)Provider, EDC. Stephanie Autumn, EDC Provide TJDR T/TA Christine Lindquist, RTI Ada Pecos Melton, AIDA Conduct Tribal Green Laura Ansera, OJJDP Monitor TJDR T/TA Jennifer Tyson, OJJDP (w/ Malinda Goodrich, LOC) Monitor Tribal Green Reentry Evaluation Patrick Dunckhorst, OJJDP Monitor TJDR Programs Hualapai IndianTribe Rosebud Sioux Tribe Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians Reentry Evaluation

RTI International 5 Process and Outcome Studies  The process study aims to document the services delivered by grantees, the characteristics of youth served, and the lessons grantees learned from implementing the programs. In addition, it will document the costs associated with program implementation at each site (including indirect costs not paid for by the grant).  The outcome study aims to assess the impact of program participation on individual youth and on the community.

RTI International 6 Benefits of Program Evaluation  Benefits of conducting a process study:  Facilitates the identification of key lessons, such as the challenges faced in implementing a program and the solutions generated by grantees in meeting these challenges.  Provides policymakers and practitioners with the information needed to replicate the program in other sites.  Benefits of conducting an outcome study:  Provides objective evidence regarding the program’s impact on the participants and the community.

RTI International 7 Benefits of Program Evaluation (cont’d)  Results of process and outcome studies can be used by grantees to:  Fine tune program approach for maximum success  Provide staff with helpful feedback and validation  Strengthen applications for future program funding  Raise community awareness and increase community support for a program

RTI International 8 Evaluation Design Considerations  Process evaluation:  Must understand implementation process from multiple perspectives, including staff at grantee and partner organizations and direct observation of program activities  Must capture program evolution over time, including initial design, early implementation, and established service delivery  Outcome evaluation:  For individual impacts, must measure outcomes (e.g., employment, recidivism) among youth who participate AND a comparison or control group of similar non-participant youth  For community impacts, must obtain data on change over time (before/during/after implementation) in outcomes such as aggregate crime rates and use of green technologies.

RTI International 9 Data Collection Plans for Tribal Green Reentry Program Evaluation  Evaluation data collection efforts will be undertaken in close communication with grantee staff and all appropriate tribal approval bodies to minimize burden on grantees and respect tribal sovereignty.  Planned data collection components include:  Individual interviews with staff and program participants  Observation of program activities  Transfer of available administrative data for cross-site analysis  Documentation of program costs via Program Director interviews  Review of key program documents

RTI International 10 Timeline for Key Study Activities  Site visits will include program observation, staff interviews, youth interviews, and review of program documents.  A total of five visits will be made to each site, beginning with the current visit (fall 2011) and finishing by August 31,  Administrative data transfer will include selected elements from the program MIS data systems maintained by each site.  Transfers will be requested at the end of Year 2 and Year 3 of funding (Sept and Sept. 2013).

RTI International 11 Dissemination of Study Findings  Process study findings will be shared with grantees for fact checking prior to submission to OJJDP and LOC.  Outcome study findings will be shared with grantees prior to any public release.  Three brief reports will be publicly released approximately:  January 2013  July 2013  January 2014  A practice bulletin will be publicly released approximately July 2014.

RTI International 12 Tribal Green Reentry Program Evaluation Contacts Christine Lindquist, PhD RTI International Crime, Violence, and Justice Research Program (919) Tasseli McKay, MPH RTI International Crime, Violence, and Justice Research Program (919) Ada Pecos Melton, MPA American Indian Development Associates (505)