NCJ Number
203154
Date Published
April 2003
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This report presents the methodology and findings of an evaluation of the functioning and effectiveness of the Erie County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (Pennsylvania), which is responsible for reviewing criminal justice initiatives and offering recommendations for improvement.
Abstract
Currently, the Erie County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (ECCJAB) holds a monthly meeting that is attended by a core group of criminal justice professionals called the Planning Committee; a larger representative group meets twice a year. In December 2002, the ECCJAB approved conducting a process assessment that would focus on its effectiveness in achieving its established goals and objectives. As part of the evaluation, 25 criminal justice boards within the United States were contacted for the purpose of obtaining their views on collaborative decisionmaking. The core of the evaluation, however, involved a survey of the entire ECCJAB membership to obtain their responses to statements regarding the functioning of the ECCJAB. Of the 45 questionnaires mailed, 20 surveys were suitable for analysis. The questionnaire consisted of 29 statements that pertained to the ECCJAB's functioning. Respondents rated the degree to which each statement was fulfilled by the board according to a likert scale that extended from 1 (completely agree) to 5 (completely disagree). Evaluators identified any gap that existed between the criteria established for the board's effectiveness and the results from the questionnaire. This evaluation report details the survey findings for each of the original seven criteria for ECCJAB responsibilities as set by the Erie County Council in 1994. There was overall agreement from the respondents that the ECCJAB provides an open forum for discussing criminal justice issues. Board meetings were viewed by the respondents as a valuable resource for criminal justice program development and evaluation. Still, the survey revealed that most of the members did not have a thorough knowledge of the ECCJAB's mission and operations. This implies that the mission, purpose, and goals of the board are unclear or unknown to many of its members. This report recommends that a board retreat be held to review by-laws, mission, vision, goals, and strategies. Further, the board should review the established criteria for effectiveness and focus on measuring the board's success by using realistic benchmarks. The board should also consider more outside involvement in its efforts. 14 references and 8 figures