DOI: 10.3886/icpsr39193.v1
title: Moving Closer to Home Before Release: Evaluating a Step-Down Strategy to Transfer Adults in State Prisons to Local Correctional Systems, Massachusetts, 2004-2017
title: Version 1

description: Jail reentry step-down programs were pioneered in the 1990s in Hampden County, Massachusetts through a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) and the Hampden County Sheriff's Office (HCSO). Step-down models enable people incarcerated in state prisons to transfer to a jail facility in their home community to serve the last portion of their sentence and gradually "step-down" to lower security classification levels prior to their release. During this time, the person is able to reconnect with local family and friends and receive community reentry services. In 2010, a Second Chance Act grant was awarded to HCSO, which expanded the reentry programming and program capacity and enabled HCSO to include people at higher security levels in the step-down program.
The purpose of this evaluation was to examine whether jails could serve as effective reentry transition facilities for adults incarcerated in state prisons who are preparing to return to their communities, using the HCSO step-down program as the model. Conducting a process, impact, and cost analysis, the researchers collected data from program reports, documents, administrative data, interviews with service providers and stakeholders, and focus groups with step-down program participants. Administrative data were releases to Hampden and Worcester County from MADOC custody between 2004-2017 (n=6,087 individuals, 7,577 releases) and line-item costs of operating reentry services.
This collection contains data from the impact analysis (DS1) and cost analysis (DS2) of HCSO's step-down program. <strong>Please note that qualitative data from the process analysis is not available.</strong>
description: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether jails can serve as an effective re-entry facility for adults who are transitioning from state prison back to their communities.
description: The impact design utilized administrative data from the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC). The original design included a difference-in-differences (DID) approach. Hampden County's receipt of the 2010 Second Chance Act Grant and resulting program expansion in 2011 was considered the intervention. Worcester County did not receive a comparable grant and was established as a control. In addition to the DID design, the team also proposed using individual-level matching in which step-down participants in Hampden would be paired with similar Worcester County individuals released from prison around the same time. Due to data limitations and additional information learned about program eligibility, the researchers dropped the matching analysis and retained a county-level analysis.
The cost evaluation used a bottom-up approach (individual costs used to estimate total program costs per individual) using programmatic data provided to the Special Commission on Correctional Funding by the Massachusetts Sheriffs Association for Fiscal Year 2023. Sheriff departments throughout the state were asked to provide line-item estimates for all programming made available at their facilities. Current program costs were used as opposed to retrospective data. The researchers estimated the unit level cost of providing services to a cohort of 50 step-down participants over one year. The number of women participants were limited to 10 percent of the cohort given the overrepresentation of men.
The process evaluation incorporated site visits to the Hampden County Correctional Center and conducted interviews with staff and stakeholders. Researchers were given access to program documents and internal research reports. The team also conducted five focus groups with step-down program participants, including one all-women group.
description: Impact analysis: Recidivism was indicated as "yes" if the individual experienced another Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) incarceration within three years. Demographic variables are limited to race and sex. Details about the prison release include offense type, type of supervision upon release, if the individual was released to Hampden County, and if the release occurred after the start of the Second Chance Act grant period (2011).
Cost analysis: Services fell into one of five program categories based on content: Community Reinvestments, Educational and Vocational, Treatment (including Behavioral Health, Mental Health, Substance Use, or Other), Religious/Spiritual, and Support/Mentorship. Services were also defined as "essential" or "recommended but not essential" to the successful operation of the step-down program. Costs were aggregated in the final data to annual salary costs and annual operating costs (excluding employee salaries).
description: Impact evaluation data consists of state prison releases of adults from Massachusetts Department of Correction (MADOC) custody with a return to either Hampden or Worcester counties between 2004-2017. Cases that were dropped from the dataset were outside the scope of the study (e.g., associated with a return county that was not Hampden or Worcester, sex offenses), missing key information, or were associated with a person who knowingly died during the follow-up period. 2017 was chosen as the cut-off date to enable three years of follow-up recidivism data prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Impact Analysis Data
DS2: Cost Analysis Data
description: Adults returning to Hampden County (step-down reentry program site) or Worcester County (comparison site) from a state prison facility.
description: record abstractsThe Cost Analysis Data (DS2) was released as a stand-alone Excel workbook, the manner in which it was deposited. ICPSR has only made changes to the file to reduce disclosure risk.The research team created an interactive online tool (Tableau) intended for practitioners and policymakers who wish to create county-level budgets for step-down programs. The website also contains a breakdown of costs associated with the step-down program evaluated in this study. Please refer to the website for further details, including contact information for research staff in case of methodological and programming questions.