HD34 - Interim Report of the Department of Criminal Justice Services on Evaluation of the Norfolk Day Reporting Center (NDRC)

  • Published: 1996
  • Author: Department of Criminal Justice Services
  • Enabling Authority: Appropriation Act - Item 565 (Special Session I, 1994)

Executive Summary:
In 1994, the General Assembly authorized funding for the development of a day reporting program in the City of Norfolk for probation and parole technical violators. Like similar day reporting programs in Virginia, the purpose of this program was to provide non-residential punishment which assured high standards of public safety and fostered positive lifestyle changes among participants. Ideally, the day reporting center program, which is the final step on a continuum of alternative sanctions, would reserve costly correctional bed space for more violent offenders. It would also provide the education, drug services, and other assistance necessary to prevent recidivism in non-violent offenders.

The Norfolk Day Reporting Center began accepting offenders on April 3, 1995. The NDRC accepts referrals of probation and parole technical violators from the District #2 Probation and Parole Office, Circuit Court Judges, and Parole Hearing Officers/Parole Examiners. As of October 1995, the NDRC began accepting referrals from the District #3, District #23, and District #31 Probation and Parole Offices, and had also accepted three offenders from boot camps and one parolee referred by the Parole Board. The remainder of the participants in the program are technical violators.

The 1994 Acts of Assembly (Chapter 966, Item 565) specified appropriations of $200,000 for Fiscal Year 1995 and $375,000 for Fiscal Year 1996. Much of these funds are allocated for staff. The NDRC is operated by six Department of Corrections (DOC) staff (l director, 1 clerical staff, 2 probation/parole officers and 2 probation/parole technicians) and three contracted service providers. Service providers include a Department of Correctional Education (DCE) teacher, a Substance Abuse Services (SAS) counselor from the City of Norfolk Community Services Board, and a staff member from Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR) of Richmond. These three staff members provide the educational, drug treatment, community service, and life skills assistance which is required as treatment for most of the offenders assigned to the NDRC.

As of October 1995, 128 offenders had been accepted into the NDRC program. Of these, 74% are currently active cases. Of the 33 cases which have been terminated, 70% successfully completed the program and 30% have terminated unsuccessfully. Approximately 50% of the offenders are contracted to receive educational services, 75% are contracted to receive substance abuse services, 100% are contracted to complete community service, 95% are contracted to complete life skills courses, and 80% are contracted to complete an impact of crime course.

As required by legislation, the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) will evaluate the Norfolk Day Reporting Center program and report the results to the General Assembly. The evaluation of the NDRC program will address two domains: program operations and program impact. Evaluation of program operations will assess the effectiveness and efficiency with which the NDRC program achieves its operational goals and objectives. Evaluation of program impact will investigate the effect of the program on criminal justice system functioning in the City of Norfolk, specifically relating to issues of diversion, recidivism, bed space, and cost savings. Evaluation of the NDRC is scheduled to be completed by the 1997 General Assembly session.

The purpose of this interim report is to describe the program, provide an update on program changes in the first 6 months of operation, review preliminary program use and outcome data, and present an outline of the data being collected for the final evaluation of the NDRC.