Community Strategies Collaboration: A Process Evaluation of the CRJ Community Strategies Division’s Residential Service Approach for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Deviant Behaviors
Research suggests that individuals with intellectual disabilities and a criminal history may represent the most complex of cases of clients needing multifaceted supports both within criminal institutions and community-based settings. In order to better serve this population while protecting public safety, we must understand how to use evidence-based practices to identify and serve their targeted needs. Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) is committed to supporting our most challenged citizens and in 2008, it launched an initiative to bring together two major program divisions within CRJ — Community Strategies (CS) and CJI —for a joint effort to enhance services through the use of research and program evaluation. CS offers specialized residential programming for 150 adults with diagnoses of intellectual disabilities, co-occurring mental illness, and histories of deviant behaviors, across New England.
This collaboration will bring about new practice findings on approaches to care for intellectually disabled adult populations. CS works to support its client population with outstanding anecdotal results. Now, in collaboration with the CJI, CS is prepared to undertake an evaluation study in order to objectively identify and codify its treatment modalities, measure the resulting client outcomes, build on its strengths, and address identified areas for improvement. Not only does CS intend to use the evaluation results for its own work, it also intends to share the findings other providers of services for the intellectually disabled community.
