COMMUNITY DIVERSION CENTERS - EVALUATION - THIRD ANNUAL, FISCAL YEAR 1977-1978

• NCJ Number: 67650
• Author(s): R L OKPARA; G T FLOWERS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 98 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77A-13-001
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Georgia Dept of Offender Rehabilitation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

GEORGIA'S DIVERSION CENTERS ARE EVALUATED AS ALTERNATIVES TO INCARCERATION FOR NONVIOLENT AND NON-SEX-RELATED OFFENDERS.

Abstract

SPECIFIC PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY THIS THIRD ANNUAL EVALUATION, FOR FISCAL YEAR 1977-78, FOCUS ON DETERMINING WHETHER MANAGEMENT OF THE PROGRAM IS CONSISTENT, UNIFIED, AND DIRECTED TOWARD THE ACHIEVEMENT OF CLEAR AND AUTHORITATIVE GOALS. DATA WERE COLLECTED BY INTERVIEWS, QUESTIONNAIRES, AND FILES FROM CENTER PERSONNEL AND FROM RESIDENTS. ISSUES DESCRIBED INCLUDE THE ADEQUACY OF THE STAFF, STAFF ORIENTATION PROCEDURES, TREATMENT QUALITIES, CLIENT INTAKE PROCEDURES, AND TREATMENT STAFF CASELOAD SIZE. INTERVIEWS WITH DIVERSION CENTER RESIDENTS ON VARIOUS MATTERS OF CENTER OPERATION ARE SUMMARIZED. SEVERAL OPERATIONAL PROBLEMS WERE EXPERIENCED IN THE DIVERSION CENTERS. THESE INCLUDED STAFF SHORTAGES, LACK OF CLEARLY DEFINED ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA, LOW COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, AND FRAGMENTED FOLLOWUP SERVICES. SUCCESS LEVELS ACHIEVED WERE AT OR NEAR ANNUAL PROJECTIONS. SUCCESSFUL GRADUATES WERE TRACKED FOR EMPLOYMENT AND REARREST STATUS. EMPLOYMENT DATA REVEALED THAT 58 PERCENT WERE EMPLOYED; REARREST DATA REVEALED A 1-YEAR ARREST RATE OF 34.9 PERCENT. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT GEORGIA IS MAKING PROGRESS WITH ITS DIVERSION PROGRAMS. HOWEVER, MUCH NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH THE WAY IN WHICH THE PROGRAM IS CONCEPTUALIZED. TWENTY-EIGHT TABLES PROVIDE DATA ABOUT ENROLLMENTS, ABSCONDING RATES, REVOCATION RATES, SUCCESSFUL COMPLETIONS OF PROGRAMS, RESIDENTS ELIGIBLE FOR EMPLOYMENT, AND RELATED MATTERS.