Practice evaluation methods and outcomes

Program Evaluation

EVALUATING A PROGRAM

Evaluation of a project or program plays an important role in future funding or accreditation of the program and also lends credibility to the service provided. When an organization launches a new program especially in the non-profit sector, it usually requires funding from various sources and needs to attract more people to the program to make it successful, for this purpose it must adopt a sound evaluation process. The evaluation report familiarizes the public with the objectives of the program, the goals it has achieved so far and the time frame in which it hopes to achieve further objectives. Carter McNamara explains what program evaluation is and what is its main purpose:

Program evaluation is carefully collecting information about a program or some aspect of a program in order to make necessary decisions about the program. Program evaluation can include any or a variety of at least 35 different types of evaluation, such as for needs assessments, accreditation, cost/benefit analysis, effectiveness, efficiency, formative, summative, goal-based, process, outcomes, etc. The type of evaluation you undertake to improve your programs depends on what you want to learn about the program. Don't worry about what type of evaluation you need or are doing -- worry about what you need to know to make the program decisions you need to make, and worry about how you can accurately collect and understand that information." (3)

In this paper, we shall therefore illustrate the evaluation process of a crime-prevention initiate undertaken in the state of Maryland. Hotspot Communities Initiative was launched in 1997 to keep a check on criminal activities in certain dangerous communities in Maryland. The program has so far been highly successful in achieving its main objectives and evaluation report indicates further positive developments. Evaluation process begins with authentic data collection and on the basis of that information we can determine the future progress of the program.

History of Hotspot Communities Initiative:

The HotSpot Communities Initiative was started in 1997 to bring down crime level in many violent communities of Maryland. The program aimed at reducing criminal activities in 36 communities statewide and it was mainly a community-based practice undertaken by some social service agencies with the help of local police. Hotspot is the name given to localities where crime rate is higher and which are not considered safe because of street violence, drug trade or youth crimes. This program was launched after careful research, which suggested that effective programs are "those that take into account the geographic, cultural, economic, and social characteristics of the targeted community." (Feins et al., 1997). HCI is based on the strategies that were found to be effective in controlling crime during a research conducted by National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and Join Together. In a survey conducted by the Join Together indicated that the best way to fight crime was to develop programs that involved the communities where problems exist. This is because when people feel they are being considered part of the solution and not the problem, they a more willing to come forward and participate in the project. This works especially in the case of crime-infested neighborhoods.

OBJECTIVES OF HCI

The core objectives included reduction of crime, more recreational activities for youth, more awareness regarding drug problem in the area, familiarity with various options available to street youth, and eradication of gangs from the neighborhood. It was found that with community involvement, agencies were able to collect authentic information about target localities and goals were developed with specific needs of the communities in mind. Research conducted by Peterson et al. (2000) indicates that crime rate can be brought down in trouble-areas when alternative activities are available to the youth. For this reason, HCI focused on developed of recreational programs while providing extra police security in the area. Since this program was launched with the help of local law enforcement agencies, community-policing strategies were also implemented with the primary objective of making police services accessible to everyone in the area.

RESULTS OF THE PROGRAM

Since HCI was based on effective strategies, which emerged from various researches and studies, it proved to be a highly successful program both in Phase 1 and 11. In the first phase, the program was limited to 36 communities while wit was extended to 26 more localities in the second phase that began in 1999. Significant decrease was noticed in criminal activities and drug-related violence and 35 communities that were part of Phase 1 HCI reported a 24% decline in violent crime.