FY 2011 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Projects: Evaluability Assessment of the Solano County (CA) Women's Reentry Achievement Program

Solano County's Women's Reentry Achievement Program (WRAP) uses a gender-responsive, evidence-based, offender-informed approach in addressing the barriers facing female offenders as they transition from jail to the community. Its current features would allow for a relatively rigorous evaluation research design. Impact, outcome, process, and cost evaluations will likely produce actionable information for practitioners, program developers, and policymakers involved in reentry for female offenders. The WRAP leadership expressed concern about a number of issues that could influence the program's evaluability. Program funding ends in September 2013, which could undermine the maintenance of pre-release case management services. The extent to which post-release components would be retained was unclear. This could adversely affect the program's intensive case management, housing support, and assistance with basic needs. The program planned to halt recruitment in early spring in order to ensure all newly enrolled participants will be released in time to access a full 180 days of post-release support prior to the grant's conclusion in September 2013. Although staff does not anticipate making any changes to the program should additional funding be provided, the program was moving forward with its original vision of working also with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) offenders returning to Solano County. Details of that work were still emerging. The EA's methodology and WRAP's program components and activities are described. 3 exhibits, 6 references, and appended logic models