Between October 2015 and September 2018, staff from the WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center worked with the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MN DOC) as the external evaluator for the Minnesota Statewide Initiative to Reduce Recidivism (MNSIRR), a recidivism-reduction effort funded through a grant from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Grants for Planning and Implementing Statewide Recidivism Reduction. MN DOC used this funding to implement MNSIRR as a systemwide change model that included a set of research-based correctional practices, including changes to programming for incarcerated men and women, as well as new programming targeted toward the people and places with the highest recidivism.

The MNSIRR evaluation had two components: a process evaluation and an outcome evaluation. During most of the initiative’s three years, the evaluation focus was on process, that is, evaluating the implementation of policies and practices under MNSIRR. Toward the end of the three-year grant period, a preliminary outcome evaluation was also conducted, with the primary outcome examined being recidivism among offenders whose experience was affected by MNSIRR.

You can learn more about the project and its findings in the summary report.