THE LONDER LEARNING CENTER

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THE LONDER LEARNING CENTER

• PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTIONS AND RE-ARREST RATES
• Charlene Rhyne, PhD
• Combined PA Meeting on December 5, 2001

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

• DCJ program that offers education and learning
  activities that culminate in GED.
• In addition to help with reading skills, offender
  can improve math and computer skills
• Referral sources include PPO, D/A programs, other
  DCJ programs as well as other criminal justice
  agencies.

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STUDY METHODOLOGY

• Data file of 343 offenders program data
  submitted to RE for analysis.
• Offenders in this sample participated in LLC from
  6/95 through 2/01.
• Arrest patterns pre- and post-LLC for sub-sample
  of 128 offenders was generated through
  DSS-Justice.

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LARGER SAMPLE DESCRIPTIVES

• 62.1 medium- and high-risk to offend
• 64.7 21 - 39 years old
• 70.3 male
• 54.5 Caucasian
• 35.6 referrals from Tx programs
• Drug offenses most commonly reported
• 65.9 successful Successful completion is defined
  by LLC as the same measure utilized by community
  colleges as a measure of success, i.e., growth of
  one or more grade levels in math and/or reading
  or passing one or more GED tests or obtaining
  literacy related goals).

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TABLE 1 SAMPLE DEMOGRAPHICS
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COMPLETION BY RACE
Small differences between Black and White
offenders in terms of successful and unsuccessful
completion as compared to overall patterns of
success
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TABLE 2 FOUR GROUP DESCRIPTIVES
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FOUR GROUP DESCRIPTIVES

• Average hours attended important factor for
  success.
• Successful completion rates comparable across
  levels of reading
• 100/158 63 low readers
• 126/185 68 high reader
• Successful low reader participated 8X as often as
  unsuccessful low reader.
• Successful high reader participated 5X as often
  as unsuccessful high reader.

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ARREST DATA

• 128 offenders whose LLC experience allowed for
  two year pre- and post-timeframe
• New criminal activity (arrest data for both
  felony and misdemeanor) data were collected for
  each offender.
• No conviction data were collected.
• Technical violations excluded.

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TABLE 3 PRE- AND POST-LLC ATTENDANCE ARREST
(NOT CONVICTIONS) DESCRIPTIVES
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ARREST DATA

• 58 reduction in arrests.
• Noteworthy impact.
• CAUTION must be used in attributing this change
  solely to LLC -- offenders had other experiences
  that may contribute to outcome
• However, this findings strongly suggest that LLC
  in addition to other services, sanctions and
  supervision have a positive impact on offender
  outcomes.

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TABLE 4 SUB-SAMPLE ARREST DATA BY GROUPS
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ARREST DATA BY GROUPS

• Further support that class attendance is
  important factor.
• Positive relationship between class attendance
  and successful completion.
• Offenders who committed fewer arrests post-LLC
  had higher average hours attended than other
  groups.

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CONCLUSIONS

• LLC overall success rate 66.
• Pre- and post-LLC experience arrests decreased by
  58.
• Average hours of attendance meaningful in
  achieving successful outcome.
• Those offenders with lower arrest rates post-LLC
  had highest average attendance.

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RECOMMENDATIONS, NEXT STEPS

• Identify and implement strategies for participant
  retention that will increase overall attendance
  rates
• Using the arrest sample, continue to explore all
  the services, sanctions and supervision that each
  individual received to better determine what
  works and in what combination.