We investigated California’s rehab for parolees. Now, the state is taking action

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The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is taking steps to begin measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the parole programs central to the state’s efforts to shrink its prison population. 

The move comes after a CalMatters investigation revealed the state had spent more than $600 million on the Specialized Treatment for Optimized Programming, but couldn’t say whether it helped participants. The Corrections Department did not collect data that would show how many participants found jobs or whether they went back to prison for another crime. 

A request for proposals on the state’s procurement website says that the department has “received one-time funding to measure parole outcomes.” 

“The department has implemented various educational and rehabilitation programs over the years to reduce recidivism rates and improve the reintegration of incarcerated individuals into society,” the request states. “The core objective of this Agreement is to evaluate the efficacy and effectiveness of these efforts in achieving the goals of reducing recidivism and improving offender outcomes.”

Launched in 2014, STOP has an annual budget of about $100 million and helps about 8,500 of the 35,000 inmates the state releases annually to get back on their feet and stay out of trouble. The department relies on four contractors to run the program, who in turn subcontract with nearly 200 private companies, community organizations and nonprofits. 

In all, there are about 450 facilities statewide in the network. Some participants live in the facilities, others just visit outpatient centers. Participation is voluntary. 

The CalMatters investigation, published in July, found that state officials rarely review the operations of the four companies that operate the program. 

Records show state officials only documented reviews of three of the more than 400 state-funded reentry homes and treatment facilities from 2018 to December 2022. The state’s July 2022 list of reentry homes included several with suspended business licenses and nonprofit status revoked years ago by the California Department of Justice — effectively barring them from doing business in California.

Subsequent stories showed how a convicted felon took advantage of program participants, and how the parole system failed one participant so badly she died of complications from diabetes at 37. 

The department’s request for proposals is for the creation of a data warehouse and data visualization tools. The maximum amount of the contract is set to be $4.5 million, according to the RFP. The contract is expected to begin in June and last for two years.