Similar to our earlier Program Planning Simulation, we’re pretending that you are an administrator for a local probation agency. The agency adopted the use of the ORAS Community Supervision Tool (CST) to assess probationers’ risks of committing crime. As you can see on the ORAS CST, each offender is assessed on seven constructs, which include: 1) criminal history; 2) education, employment, and financial situation; 3) family and social support; 4) neighborhood problems; 5) substance use; 6) peer associations; and 7) criminal attitudes and behavioral patterns. Each of these domains/constructs contains several ordinal level questions which are aggregated to a single interval level measure.
In addition to adopting the ORAS CST assessment, the agency has also implemented the T4C program. Your agency has been collecting data to evaluate whether the T4C program is actually able to reduce recidivism. The agency also wants to know if the program is beneficial for all male offenders regardless of risk level (as measured by the ORAS CST). Studies have shown that low-risk level offenders may actually recidivate more if they are subjected to a program where they spend more time with high-risk level offenders. So, your agency wants to know if this holds true.
To evaluate the T4C program, your agency randomly assigned male offenders to the program based on risk level. For each risk level (low, moderate, high and very high), an experimental design was used to randomly assign the male probationers to be in one of two groups: 1) the experimental group that participated in the T4C program or 2) the control group that did not participate in the program. For example, if there were two offenders assessed as a low level risk, one was randomly assigned as a participant in the experimental group and the other was assigned to the non-participant control group. This allows us to compare recidivism outcomes between the experimental and control groups – those who go through the program and those who do not. Your organization does not want to spend time and resources putting offenders through a program that increases recidivism, as compared to offenders who do not go through the program.
Assignment Criteria
Your local probation agency is evaluating the T4C program as it applies to male probationers. It is your job to analyze the recidivism rates for the four ORAS risk levels and recommend whether your agency should continue the T4C program for each of the four risk levels.
For this assignment, students should read all of the module pages. The information, directions, and files needed to complete the assignment are provided in the following Webcourse pages:
Program Evaluation Simulation – Introduction
Understanding Evaluations and Assessment
Evaluation Scenario & Getting Familiar with the Excel Spreadsheet
Program Evaluation Simulation Files
Program Evaluation Simulation Instructions – 1. Research Question and Creating a Pivot Table
Program Evaluation Simulation Instructions – 2. Selecting the IV
Program Evaluation Simulation Instructions – 3. Selecting the DV
Program Evaluation Simulation Instructions – 4. Selecting Table Values
Program Evaluation Simulation Instructions – 5. Selecting the Filter
Program Evaluation Simulation Assignment (this assignment portal)
As noted on the “Program Evaluation Simulation Files” Webcourse page linked above, you’ll also need to:
Use Excel which is in your Microsoft office available online through the UCF Office 365 or for download at UCF IT Offerings.
Download the “Data Analysis Simulation Excel File.”
Download and complete the “Tables and Questions for Upload Word File.”
Be sure to rename your file. Include your name in the file name.
Upload Your Word Document
Please rename your “Tables and Questions for Upload” Word document when it is completed and upload it to this portal.
The system will allow files with “doc” or “docx” extensions or pdfs.
When renaming your Word file, include your name.
You do NOT need to upload an Excel file
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