NCJ Number
185816
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2000 Pages: 53-57
Date Published
May 2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article presents guidelines for conducting a program evaluation.
Abstract
A program evaluation should include the reason the evaluation is being conducted and the program's goals. It should also define the precise nature of the intervention under review, the social and/or psychological mechanisms that are to be affected, the nature of outcomes, and the program setting. In addition, it is important to identify the program's location and the timing in relation to the chronology of the offenders' professional careers. Identification of program participants and their characteristics is important in deciding what level of generalization will be made after the evaluation. Program evaluation includes both quantitative and qualitative methods of evaluation. The article also discusses evaluators' role in "secondary dissemination," i.e., communicating research results to stakeholders in ways they can understand and that are useful in making policy decisions. This communication should be direct and short, should provide necessary qualifications and limitations of the study, and should be free of technical jargon. Notes