Wade Cole, Robert Barnoski - November 2006

This report examines the relationship between student performance on multiple-choice and open-ended items on the 10th-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) in spring 2006.

Steve Aos, Marna Miller, Elizabeth Drake - October 2006

Under current long-term forecasts, Washington State faces the need to construct several new prisons in the next two decades. Since new prisons are costly, the 2005 Washington Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to project whether there are “evidence-based” options that can: a) reduce the future need for prison beds, b) save money for state and local taxpayers, and c) contribute to lower crime rates. This report describes our findings and discusses how we conducted the analysis. We review evidence-based adult corrections, juvenile corrections, and prevention options and analyze the effects of alternative portfolios of these investments.

Wade Cole, Robert Barnoski - October 2006

This report provides an overview of 10th-grade WASL results for spring 2006.

Elizabeth Drake, Robert Barnoski, Laura Harmon - September 2006

The Institute was contracted by the Office of Financial Management to determine the completeness and accuracy of Washington State’s criminal history databases for adult felons. The following databases are included in the study: the Washington State Patrol, the Department of Corrections, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and the Sentencing Guidelines Commission. This presentation discusses the proposed research design for the study. The final report will be completed by April 2007.

Steve Aos, Annie Pennucci - September 2006

The 2006 Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to "begin the development of a repository of research and evaluations of the cost-benefits of various educational programs and services." This report describes the methodology we are using for this study. Results will be presented in a second report in March 2007.

Robert Barnoski, Wade Cole - September 2006

This report examines the historical relationship between student performance on the 10th-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) and subsequent high school graduation.

Elizabeth Drake, Robert Barnoski - July 2006

The Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to evaluate the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) pilot to determine if DBT reduces recidivism. DBT is a program for juvenile offenders who have mental health issues and reside in a state institution. The Institute conducted a preliminary study of the program in 2002, using a 12-month follow-up period, and found the program reduced felony recidivism. This report updates the 2002 study using a longer follow-up period to measure recidivism.

Elizabeth Drake, Robert Barnoski - July 2006

The Washington State Legislature directed the Institute to evaluate the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration’s mentoring program. The Institute conducted a preliminary analysis of the program in 2002 using a 12-month follow-up period and found reduced recidivism for mentor participants. This report updates the preliminary findings by using a longer follow-up period to measure recidivism.

Elizabeth Drake, Robert Barnoski - July 2006

In July 1998, the Washington State Legislature eliminated parole for youth released from Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA) institutions for all but high risk and sex offenders. In a 2001 report, preliminary recidivism findings were compared for juvenile offenders released on parole with juvenile offenders released without parole. Results indicated that parole does not have an influence on recidivism. In this study, the Institute used a longer follow-up period and added a second comparison group. This 2006 study is therefore a more rigorous test of the effect of parole on recidivism for most juvenile offenders.

Robert Barnoski - June 2006

This report examines trends in Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) participation as a first step in identifying a valid comparison group needed to evaluate the impact of SOTP on recidivism.