Mentally Ill Offenders Crime Reduction Grant (MIOCRG) Program Evaluation

LTG evaluated four MIOCRG programs in three California Counties: Tuolumne; Santa Cruz; and, Kern. The State Board of Corrections (BOC) granted funds to county Sheriff’s Departments to develop multi-year programs for involving law enforcement and mental health agencies in collaborative efforts to help mentally ill persons (many of whom were dually diagnosed) break the cycle of criminal behavior and incarceration. LTG collected elements for an extensive dataset, maintained in-house and program-based databases, provided database-related technical assistance to program personnel, analyzed program data, and submitted semi-annual reports to program steering committees and to BOC researchers as part of the program evaluation. LTG conducted annual process evaluations, involving both quantitative and qualitative studies, to assist program and BOC stakeholders understand the process by which intra- and inter-agency change is made, and the outcomes of such change. In addition, LTG staff members assisted BOC researchers in designing the state-level process evaluation and in communicating their expectations to program staff members for other counties receiving MIOCRG funding. Finally, LTG conducted cost/benefit and sustainability studies for these programs.