The Costs of Reentry Programs: Findings from the AORDP Cost Study

• In Event: Final Process, Outcome, and Cost Findings from the Cross-Site Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2011 Second Chance Act Adult Offender Reentry Demonstration Programs

Abstract

The AORDP cost analysis sought to generate reliable and actionable information on the costs associated with implementing and operating each of the seven AORDP projects, which could be used by policymakers and decision-makers in other communities interested in replicating any of the reentry approaches used by these sites. To identify the costs associated with program implementation and operation, we (1) reviewed the site’s AORDP proposal budgets and budget narratives, (2) obtained financial reports filed with the BJA under the SCA grant program including final financial reports submitted at the conclusion of each award; (3) conducted a series of initial and follow-up teleconferences with key stakeholders (project directors, coordinators, training staff, and fiscal/financial administrators responsible for grant management) to verify budgeted allocations and actual expenditures, and the reason for any divergence between the two; and (4) collected, where available, site-level billing data or invoices indicative of actual service receipt. These data were used to verify program allocations and expenditures, and construct site-specific cost profiles. Analyses examined how those resources relate to criminal justice outcomes (notably, rearrests) in each AORDP site. This paper presents the results of these analyses.

Authors

• Joshua Eisenstat, The Urban Institute

• Janeen Buck Willison, The Urban Institute

• Jeremy Welsh-Loveman, The Urban Institute