NCJ Number
155605
Date Published
1995
Length
93 pages
Annotation
Oregon's shock incarceration program, the SUMMIT program, was evaluated with respect to its program and procedures during its first year of operation.
Abstract
The program has two phases: a structured institution phase lasting 180 days and a short-term transitional leave phase lasting 30 days. The evaluation revealed that the Oregon Department of Corrections has followed legal criteria in selecting offenders for participation in SUMMIT and that all components of the program are being delivered as designed. Average individual performance levels as reported in daily evaluations steadily exceeded increases in expected levels in all program areas. However, the attrition rate is high compared to initial projections; 41 percent of the 129 inmates who began platoons 1 and 2 were returned to the general prison population because they were dismissed or voluntarily left the program. Of the 58 participants released on August 31 and October 31, 1994, only one had failed to meet the conditions of post-prison supervision and been returned to the general prison population as of January 31, 1995. However, the short period of time since release prevents meaningful statistical analysis. The net cost savings was $12,321 per graduate for the first two platoons. Findings indicate that the SUMMIT boot camp program is a cost-effective means of reducing prison overcrowding by treating and releasing selected inmates earlier than their court-determined minimum period of incarceration. Tables, footnotes, and appended figures and charts