Session III: Correctional Programming and Research Design: What the Project Greenlight Evaluation Can Tell Us

Abstract

Project Greenlight was an intensive, prison-based reentry program designed to provide soon-to-be released inmates with the resources perceived to be most central to their successful reintegration. Delivered eight week before release, the program included daily sessions of cognitive-behavioral training, practical skills, employment preparation and an on-site job developer, housing assistance, substance abuse readiness and relapse prevention, family sessions, referrals to community service providers, and the development of a release plan to help provide a degree of organization and structure after release. The initial one-year follow-up showed that intervention participants performed significantly worse than controls in terms of total arrests and felony arrests and were similar to controls in terms of revocations. A more recent examination following study participants for three years indicates that many of the negative effects associated with the intervention group have dissipated. The findings from our evaluation provide important insights for not only the theoretical and empirical literature, but also for those considering designing, implementing and evaluating offender reentry programs.