Program evaluation is the systematic collection of information about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs. The information is then used to make judgments about the program and improve the effectiveness of the program. This also suggests that evaluation determines the worth, merit, or value of something (Patton 1997).
New Beginnings Re-entry Program is a program designed to give offenders and ex-offenders the opportunity to change their lives by starting with the incarceration process. This program gives a solution to correction issues related to prisons and other correction facilities. Thus, the program will help individuals to review their lives so that they do not end in prison.
The program works on the principle that people need not be incarcerated in order for them to learn their lessons in life. This principle will help people not to do any more wrongdoing in the society.
Criminal justice programs must therefore be implemented in order to rehabilitate offenders who are re-entering the community. This will be done by addressing the root causes of these behaviors.
This program was developed to help inmates become productive members of the society, to abide by the law and to contribute to the development of their communities. This program is effective because it helps prisoners develop life skills, which they can use to become law-abiding members of the society.
The program is implemented in three phases. Phase one is the protection and preparation phase whereby services such as education preparation classes, mental health services, rehab treatment for substance abusers, training for various jobs, and giving the offenders full diagnostic and risk assessment are offered.
Phase two is involved with controlling and restoration which is a transition oriented phase that aims at changing the prisoners prior to and after their release. Services in this phase include coping skills, mentoring, and continued rehabilitation of prisoners with mental illnesses.
Phase 3 is sustained and support phase. It is in this phase that there are chains of long-term community based initiatives. The program in this phase will continually assess offenders as they adapt to the society.
The program is actually very effective because at a glance, it help eliminate prison overcrowding and recidivism rates by helping the offenders with personal issues and equipping them with the tools they need to become productive members of the society. In addition, such alternative programs are cost efficient and they use rehabilitation method to reduce crime.
This program design allows criminals to fulfill their sentence outside of a prison through support services that include treatment programs, employment services, and educational services. This program also tries to reach those who are re-entering society. It gives them the opportunity to have a better life.
In practice, however, alternative sanctions such as this program may not be necessarily logical. A study conducted by Wood and Grasmick, (2001) revealed that inmates who previously served both imprisonment and alternatives sanction identified at least five programs that were more punitive than prison. This research was conducted by analyzing more than 400 inmates.
Surprisingly, according to the report, up to one-third of inmates refused to participate in the alternative. This happened despite them knowing that their duration of imprisonment would be shorter after they had undergone the alternative program.
It is important to note that the manner in which the alternatives were administered was affected by particular factors. These factors include the abusive or antagonistic personnel who ran the programs and the likelihood of the program failure. If the program failed, the prisoners would go back to jail
This program must therefore be well planned to assist the offenders with skill growth and their behaviors. Otherwise, it may cause offenders to relapse thereby causing the services to fail. In addition, careful monitoring of criminal needs of the offenders is important because it is the means to effective correctional programs.
Reference List
Patton, M. (1997). Utilization-Focuses Evaluation: The New Century Text. Ed 3. California: Sage Publications, Inc.,
Wood, P. B., & Grasmick, H.G (2001). Inmates Rank The Severity Of Ten Alternative Sanctions Compared To Prison. Web.