Description:
This data collection represents a process and outcome evaluation of the Office Technology Training program at the Rio Consumnes Correctional Center (RCCC) in Sacramento County. RCCC is a county jail for prisoners sentenced up to one year in custody. The Office Technology Training program, one of several training programs for inmates at RCCC, was designed to familiarize students with the use of computers in an office or business setting and to provide specific instruction in several types of common office software, including word processing and desktop publishing. The purpose of the evaluation research was (1) to refine the process of determining what types of training should be funded and (2) to establish research-based evaluation protocols for local jail inmate training programs. Data were collected on participants in the Office Technology Training class, on a control group that matched the participants in terms of demographic characteristics, and on a smaller group of nonparticipants who had signed up for the training program but did not participate. Part 1, Treatment and Control Group Data, contains administrative and survey data on both the trainees and the control group, while Part 2, Nonparticipant Data, includes administrative and survey data on the inmates who registered for the training but did not participate in the program. The survey consisted of an evaluation form filled out by inmates who participated in the training at RCCC, indicating their prior experience with computers and software, evaluating the training they received, and assessing whether the new skills would be helpful in securing employment upon their release. Administrative records on all respondents (trainees, control, and nonparticipants) were collected from four sources: a supplemental form on inmates' employment, a probation report that provided personal and criminal histories, a risk assessment form, and a follow-up form completed by the probation officer within one week of the six-month anniversary of the inmate's release from RCCC. Variables from the supplemental form included employment type and wages. The probation report covered employment, education, military history, marital status, substance abuse, domestic violence, gang behavior, psychiatric history, child abuse history, and criminal histories as juveniles and adults. Data on attitude, alcohol and drug problems, number of felony convictions, probation periods and violations, types of offenses, and history of institutionalization were taken from the risk assessment form. The follow-up form gathered information on release, disciplinary actions at RCCC, opinions about the Office Technology Training program, substance abuse, new arrests and convictions, gang behavior, job training, employment type, hourly wage, job satisfaction, and use of computers on the job. Additional administrative records data on trainees and nonparticipants were gathered from the class registration form, including gender, education, birth date, ethnicity, language spoken, occupation, Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) scores, and class assignments. Other data on trainees came from an evaluation form filled out by the students' instructor upon their completion of the Office Technology class. It provided information on the behavior, attitude, and skills of the students.