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Buck Willison, J., Rossman, S. B., & Roman, C. (2020). Moving corrections and sentencing forward: Building on the record. In Examining the Field’s First Multisite Reentry Experiment: Lessons Learned from the Evaluation of the Opportunity to Succeed (OPTS) Aftercare Program (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003008941
In 1994, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (NCASA) at Columbia University in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation designed and launched the Opportunity to Succeed (OPTS) demonstration program in five communities: Kansas City (MO), New York City (West Harlem), Oakland (CA), St. Louis (MO) and Tampa (FL). The OPTS program piloted a multifaceted service model that paired designated probation and parole officers with case managers in local, community-based lead service agencies to supervise and serve individuals returning to the community from prison following a felony conviction; the program’s aim was to improve reentry outcomes and to reduce recidivism and relapse. With funding from NIJ, the Urban Institute and its partner BOTEC Analysis, Inc. evaluated the implementation, impacts and costs of three OPTS demonstration programs (Kansas City, St. Louis and Tampa) using an experimental design in which eligible individuals were randomly assigned to either the OPTS program or “business-as-usual” community supervision. Impact analyses relied on highly structured self-report baseline and 12-month follow-up interviews with 398 OPTS (N=195) and control group (N=203) members, and state and federal criminal justice records data. Findings were mixed. Although OPTS participation was associated with increased access to services and a host of positive reentry outcomes, analyses found little evidence that OPTS reduced recidivism or hard drug use. Multilevel modeling, however, found that full-time employment post-release was linked to reduced recidivism. Program implementation and model fidelity varied substantially across the three OPTS demonstration sites. This chapter explores the implications for today’s reentry research.
