Redeploy Illinois 2011 Annual Report - Recommendations
The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board, over the past year has dedicated time and resources toward laying the foundation for moving the program statewide. As the Board is beginning to exhaust efforts to expand the program under the current competitive bid model, the Board has identified outside resources to fund a cost benefit analysis and a recidivism study to aid in the development of a statewide expansion plan. These results are expected to be complete in calendar year 2012. To further build on this work and the success of the program sites, the Board offers the following recommendations to insure the continued success of Redeploy Illinois both now and into the future.
Recommendation #1
The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board should consider the results of the impending cost benefit analysis and recidivism study to develop a rigorous and realistic comprehensive plan, by January 2013, to implement the program statewide. This plan should include a feasibility study, data analysis, programmatic and economic incentive models, policy recommendations, an expansion plan and a outreach plan.
Recommendation #2
The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board recommends creating legal authority for the Department of Human Services to enter into agreements with counties exceeding 2,000,000 with the following conditions:
- to reduce the number of commitments by the same percentage as is required by the legislation applying to other counties, and
- with all of the same requirements of the Act, including reporting and evaluation,
- except that the agreement may encompass a clearly identifiable geographical subdivision of that county. The geographical subdivision may include, but is not limited to, a police district or group of police districts, a geographical area making up a court calendar or group of court calendars, a municipal district or group of municipal districts, or a municipality or group of municipalities.
The Board must continue to closely monitor the outcomes in all jurisdictions and work with the counties in the program to ensure that overall incarceration from those counties does not increase disproportionately.
Recommendation #3
The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board and the Department of Human Services staff should work with providers to prepare a Redeploy Illinois logic model and set of performance measures for the program in a manner consistent with the Budgeting for Results initiative and in order to provide outcome information in the proscribed format for use by the Governor, General Assembly, Oversight Board and the Department of Human Services during the annual budget process.
Recommendation #4
In order to support improved use of best practice models for providers, the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board should work to develop, record, analyze, and share statewide data related to best and promising practices to support improved and increased use of best practice models with the Redeploy population.
Recommendation #5
As funding allows, the Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board should continue to fund planning grants to eligible counties in an effort to further expand the reach of the program.
Recommendation #6
The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board should continue to annually convene staff from all of the Redeploy Illinois sites statewide for the purposes of sharing information, insights and trending.
Recommendation #7
The Redeploy Illinois Oversight Board should develop a training series around the Redeploy Illinois program. This should be a series of face-to-face training sessions, webinars, and companion guides explaining the legislation, philosophy, planning, program practices and experiences, and research and evaluation findings. These materials will support the current sites by providing training materials for new staff, and they would be useful for professional training in various professions (probation, treatment services, community-based organizations, advocacy organizations, prosecutors and public defenders, and the judiciary).
Recommendation #8
The Redeploy Illinois appropriation should be increased to provide for full statewide expansion of the initiative.
