NCJ Number
228943
Date Published
February 2009
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This is the executive summary of Phase II of a project designed to produce evidence-based guidance on monitoring and evaluating multijurisdictional drug task forces (MJTFs).
Abstract
The first phase of the project focused on data availability. The work began with a review of the MJTF evaluation literature in order to identify research questions, measures, and methodologies. The results of the literature review were used to design a survey of State administrative agencies (SAAs) and task forces funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Phase II of the project involved five activities. One activity involved the production of draft and final project designs in collaboration with BJA, the National Institute of Justice, and SAAs in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, and Tennessee, and vetting these designs at two cluster conferences. A second activity involved gathering and analyzing 7 years of retrospective data. A third activity consisted of collaboration with BJA and the four partner SAAs in producing a draft performance measurement tool. The fourth activity involved conducting a focus group of Massachusetts SAA and MJTF staff and fielding a usability survey across MJTFs in the four States in order to refine the prospective tool. The fifth activity produced the primary product of the Phase II project. This involved the drafting of a performance monitoring guide based on the knowledge gained in the Phase I surveys of MJTFs and SAAs, as well as Phase II retrospective analysis and usability survey and focus group. The guide presents the template developed for BJA, and it takes BJA and the SAAs that oversee MJTFs in using logic models and the BJA template for measuring task force performance. Guidance is also provided on how to analyze the data in monitoring performance over time.
Date Published: February 1, 2009