An Outcome Evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative. (2012) Minnesota Department of Corrections.
From the Evaluation report from the Minnesota Department of Corrections: The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) recently completed an outcome evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (InnerChange), a faith-based prisoner reentry program. The evaluation assessed the impact of InnerChange on recidivism among 732 offenders released from Minnesota prisons between 2003 and 2009. The average follow-up period for the 732 offenders was a little more than three years.
KEY FINDINGS
- Participation in InnerChange significantly decreased the risk of reoffending by 26-40 percent. The reductions in recidivism were:
- 26 percent for rearrest
- 35 percent for reconviction
- 40 percent for new offense reincarceration
- Participation in InnerChange did not have a significant effect on technical violation revocations.
- Beneficial recidivism outcomes for InnerChange are likely due to continuum of mentoring support some participants received in prison and the community.
- InnerChange is a cost-effective program for the State of Minnesota
- The program exacts no additional costs to the state
- Costs are privately funded
- Relies heavily on volunteers from the community
- Lowers recidivism, which includes reduced reincarceration and victimization costs
...To evaluate the effectiveness of the InnerChange program for male inmates at MCF-Lino Lakes, the DOC examined recidivism outcomes among 732 offenders released from prison between 2003 and 2009. There were 366 offenders who participated in InnerChange, had their recidivism risk assessed, and had been released from prison during the 2003-2009 period. Offenders whose recidivism risk had been assessed and had been released during the 2003-2009 period, but did not participate in InnerChange, were matched to those in the InnerChange group on commonly-known risk factors. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed to further control for other factors besides InnerChange participation that may have had an impact on recidivism. These measures were used to ensure that any observed differences in recidivism between the 366 InnerChange participants and the 366 offenders in the comparison group were due strictly to participation in InnerChange.
Download, "An Outcome Evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative." (2012) Minnesota Department of Corrections.
