Colorado Department of Corrections Office of Planning and Analysis June 2018 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections Office of Planning and Analysis INTRODUCTION To better understand why offenders refuse or waive a referral to community corrections, a random sample of 1,000 offenders who had recently refused were surveyed. The survey, developed collaboratively by the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) and Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (CCJRC), consisted of forty-four (44) questions focusing on the reasons for refusing or waiving a referral, knowedge and opinion of community corrections, and when applicable, past experiences at community corrections. The survey was made up of of five (5) closed-ended questions, five (5) open-ended questions, nine (9) demographic or informational questions, and twenty-five (25) scaled questions, using a 4-point scale of “False,” “Slightly True,” “Mostly True,” and “Very True.” Without an indifferent or neutral option, respondents were required to select a response choice that provided a specific answer. The elimination of nonresponse options can increase the number of survey records available for analysis (Lavrakas, 2008) and increase survey validity by minimizing halo effects (Bartram, 2007). The demographics of survey respondents were fairly similar to those of the general CDOC inmate population (CDOC, 2016). Note: due to rounding error, not all pie charts total 100%. 1 Females were oversampled in an effort to identify gender-specific differences in knowledge, past experience, and reasons for refusing a referral to community corrections. As a result, females made up 21% of survey respondents. REASONS FOR REFUSING OR WAIVING A REFERRAL TO COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS The most frequently reported reason for refusing or waiving a referral to community corrections was “I decided it was better to wait to go to the Parole Board,” with more than half of all respondents (52%) answering “Slightly True,” “Mostly True,” or “Very True.” A closely related response, “I was past or near my Parole Eligibility Date,” was the second most frequently selected reason for refusing or waiving a referral to community corrections. 2 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections The next most common reasons given were, “I had heard mostly bad things about community corrections,” and, “I was concerned about the cost of community corrections.” Thirty-four percent (34%) of survey respondents reported to have refused or waived a referral because they “didn’t have enough information about community corrections.” Thirty-one percent (31%) refused because they “thought community corrections would have too many rules.” The 4-point scale of “False”, “Slightly True”, “Mostly True”, and “Very True” was recoded with values of zero (0), one (1), two (2), and three (3) respectively, and the mean score for each reason calculated. The results are displayed in descending order, starting with, “I decided it was better to wait to go to the parole board”, which had a combined mean score of 1.2, between “Slightly True” and “Mostly True.” Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections 3 Scale: False = 0, Slightly True = 1, Mostly True = 2, Very True = 3. QUALITATIVE DATA – REASONS FOR REFUSAL Qualitative analysis of data collected in the open-ended questions highlighted parole eligibility, detainers or warrants, prison programs, case managers, and the cost of community corrections as factors for the decision to waive or refuse a referral to community corrections. Other reasons given included; the perception that they would be denied anyway, particularly for sex offenders; concerns about being able to find employment fast enough, or afford community corrections; a lack of trust in the staff at community corrections, usually due to negative past experiences; concerns about medical or mental health issues, and access to treatment or medications at community corrections; and the perceived risk of picking up new charges, most notably escape. 4 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections KNOWLEDGE AND OPINIONS OF COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS Survey respondents were asked about their knowledge and opinion of community corrections. Fifty-two percent (52%) of survey respondents reported “False,” when asked if they knew how to be referred to community corrections after refusing. Sixty-one percent (61%) of survey respondents reported that their case manager gave them enough info on community corrections. Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections 5 Most survey respondents (63% and 76%) reported the overall and individual opinion of community corrections to be good. When asked if they would recommend community corrections to others, 45% answered “Yes,” 17% answered “No,” and 38% answered “Don’t Know.” When asked if they were interested in being referred to community corrections now, 50% answered “Yes.” Questions about knowledge and opinion of community corrections, using a 4-point scale of “False” “Slightly True,” “Mostly True,” and “Very True” were recoded with values of zero (0), one (1), two (2), and three (3), and the mean score for each reason calculated. The most understood concept was, “I know what community corrections is,” with an average score of 2.3. The least understood concept was, “I know 6 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections how to be referred to community corrections after refusing,” with an average score of 1.1, just above “Slightly True.” Scale: False = 0, Slightly True = 1, Mostly True = 2, Very True = 3. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES IN COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS Almost half of all survey respondents (49%) reported that they had been in community corrections before, with a third (33%) of prior experiences reported as successful completions. Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections 7 A third of survey respondents (33%) reported that they did not receive the help needed from community corrections staff. Thirteen-percent (13%) reported to not feel safe in community corrections. QUALITATIVE DATA - WORD CHART – SUGGESTED CHANGES The most frequently suggested changes to community corrections were improvements in staffing, greater help finding employment, lowered costs, better food, and fewer rules. 8 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FEMALES AND MALES Statistically significant differences (p <.05) between Females and Males were detected in the answers to five (5) questions. Males were more likely than females to indicate that being past or near their parole eligibility (PED) date was influential in their decision to refuse or waive a referral to community corrections. Females were more likely to refuse or waive a referral to community corrections due to charges they wanted to resolve first. Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections 9 Females indicated a concern about access to drugs and staying sober more frequently than males. Males were less confident than females in their knowledge about community corrections, and more likely to indicate that their case manager did not give them enough information about community corrections. 10 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections A fifth (20%) of females and males were concerned about their safety in community corrections. CONCLUSION The most frequently reported reasons for refusing or waiving a referral to community corrections were, that offenders thought it was better to wait to go to the Parole Board, had heard mostly bad things about community corrections, and were concerned about the costs. Almost half (49%) of all respondents reported that they had been in community corrections before, with a third (33%) of these placements ending as successful completions. Half of survey respondents (50%) indicated they were interested in being referred to community corrections now. Additional reasons for refusing or waiving a referral included concerns about finding a job and being able to pay rent, the risk of acquiring new charges, a belief that their referral would be denied anyway, and a lack of trust in staff at community corrections. The most frequently suggested changes to community corrections were staff improvements, more help finding employment, less rules, lower costs, better food, and greater time for family and friends. Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections 11 REFERENCES Bartram, D. (2007). Increasing validity with forced-choice criterion measurement formats. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15, 263-272. Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC). (2016). Annual Statistical Report. Retrieved from: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdoc/departmental-reports-and-statistics Lavrakas, P. J. (2008). Encyclopedia of survey research methods Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd doi: 10.4135/978141296394 12 Reasons Offenders Refuse or Waive a Referral to Community Corrections