An Implementation and Process Evaluation of the Louisiana 22nd Judicial District’s Behavioral Health Court

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2016

Abstract

The national offender reentry movement, Second Chance Act, and the widespread transfer of offender programming to community corrections have coalesced to substantially increase treatment for mental health and substance disorders within the criminal justice system. Intervention commonly entails program evaluation for accountability and empirical evidence by which to specify what works. Though mixed methods evaluation is preferable to a singular qualitative or quantitative approach, process steps are commonly overlooked. This paper relates an implementation and process design and evaluation midpoint findings for the Louisiana 22nd Judicial District’s Behavioral Health Court program, a post-conviction treatment initiative for mental health offenders. Interview guides and a fidelity instrument facilitated site visit data collection. Findings inform program implementation intensity, performance, improvement opportunities, and related fidelity research.

Publication Title

American Journal of Criminal Justice

Volume

41

Issue

1

First Page

124

Last Page

135

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1007/s12103-015-9326-2

ISSN

10662316

E-ISSN

19361351

Share

COinS