Welcome to Data-Driven Understanding of Local Reentry. This module provides you with information on the essential role reliable data play in successfully transitioning people from jail to the community.
Sheriffs, directors, department heads, and commissioners all make dozens of decisions that commit resources, impact working conditions, and set in motion programs that will be in place for years to come. These decisions have the power to affect people’s lives for good or for bad, so it is obviously important that they are based on the best information possible. 1
—Captain Randy Demory, Kent County Sheriff’s Office,
Grand Rapids, Michigan
We all know that agencies within or related to corrections collect all types of information or data. For our purposes, we simply want you to ask yourself what information you need to develop effective jail transition interventions. What do you need to know about the jail population and their needs, and about the capacity of existing programs to meet those needs?
Before you begin, ask yourself how often your agency uses data to
By the end of this section, you’ll understand the importance of using a data-driven approach to inform your decisions and shape your responses. You will also begin to identify what data or information might be helpful to inform and evaluate your efforts.
This module has five sections and will take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.
This module also includes a list of resources after each section to help in the process.
Download Module 4 in PDF format.
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1 Randy Demory, “Measuring What Matters,” Large Jail Network Bulletin (Washington, DC: National Institute of Corrections, 2001), p. 3.
