NEED FOR HYBRID EVALUATION MODELS IN MULTI-MODULE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROJECTS

• NCJ Number: 54010
• Author(s): S R SONNAD; P C FRIDAY
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 14 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE EVALUATION, WASHINGTON, DC, FEBRUARY 1977

Annotation

A STRATEGY FOR EVALUATING COMPLEX CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM INTERVENTIONS CHARACTERIZED BY NUMEROUS SETS OF OBJECTIVES AND MULTIPLE CRITERIA IS PROPOSED.

Abstract

THE STRATEGY WAS DEVELOPED IN THE CONTEXT OF ONE SUCH MULTIMODULE INTERVENTION--A PILOT PROJECT AIMED AT IMPROVING THE PROCESSING OF MISDEMEANANTS. THE PROJECT INVOLVED THREE AGENCIES (POLICE, PROSECUTOR, COURT); CUT ACROSS CITY, TOWNSHIP, AND COUNTY JURISDICTIONS; AND INCLUDED SEVEN DISTINCT MODULES (POLICE CITATION SYSTEM, COURT SUMMONS SYSTEM, PROSECUTION CASE SCREENING, COMPUTERIZED MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, PRETRIAL RELEASE, SHORT-FORM PRESENTENCE REPORT, AND PROBATION). EACH MODULE HAD ITS OWN OBJECTIVES AND ORIENTATION. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEREAS THE PRETRIAL RELEASE MODULE WAS BASICALLY RESULT ORIENTED, THE COURT SUMMONS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM MODULES WERE PRIMARILY EFFICIENCY ORIENTED AND THE SHORT-FORM PRESENTENCE REPORT WAS PROCESS ORIENTED. A HYBRID EVALUATION MATRIX WAS DEVELOPED IN WHICH EACH MODULE IS ASSIGNED A NUMERICAL RATING BASED ON ASSESSMENT BY THE APPROPRIATE CRITERION OR CRITERIA. A GLOBAL EVALUATION OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT, CONSISTING OF OVERALL RATINGS FOR EACH CRITERION, WAS DEVELOPED FROM THE INDIVIDUAL MODULE RATINGS. FIVE CATEGORIES OF EVALUATIVE CRITERIA ARE INCLUDED: OUTPUT, PERFORMANCE (OUTCOME), EFFICIENCY (COST BENEFIT AND COST EFFECTIVENESS), PROCESS, AND COMPARATIVE PREEXPERIMENTS/POSTEXPERIMENTS AND COMPARISONS WITH OTHER PROGRAMS). THE MODULE AND GLOBAL MATRICES ARE PRESENTED, TOGETHER WITH AN EXPLANATION OF THEIR STRUCTURE, A DISCUSSION OF THE NEED FOR A HYBRID APPROACH TO PROGRAM EVALUATION, AND A DESCRIPTION OF THE MISDEMEANANT-PROCESSING PROJECT. (THE PRESENTATION IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE HYBRID APPROACH RATHER THAN AN ACTUAL EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT. THE RATINGS CONTAINED IN THE MATRICES ARE HYPOTHETICAL.)