What is the AETWS?
The Agency Evaluation Tool for Women on Supervision (AETWS) outlines the process of evaluating the policies and programs for women on supervision and how to use those outcomes to drive enhancements to women’s programming.
There are two main sections of the AETWS:
- The AETWS Description and Instructions section provides information on how to facilitate an assessment of current practices in community supervision. It also outlines the five domains that will be assessed using the Instrument.
- The AETWS Scoring Instrument provides the assessment domains and related areas to be assessed. This instrument is the document where scores are recorded for each domain, with questions within each domain that can help guide the scoring decisions. It is also used to record what information was gathered or reviewed and to note areas where observations were made pertaining to each domain.
The AETWS requires a collective effort from a team of corrections professionals to work together in determining how responsive to women a program currently is. It is also intended as the first step in a more substantial process to understand current program policies and practices so that reforms and/or enhancements can be planned. Improving outcomes for supervised women is the primary purpose of this work. Templates for action plans are provided to help agencies move toward improving or changing current practices to those that are more responsive to women.
How was the AETWS developed?
The AETWS development process included a review of the assessment strategies used in tools developed by the Center for Gender and Justice. The tool is also based on the fundamental elements of quality programming, including the guiding principles from work by Bloom, Owen, & Covington, 2003, published by the National Institute of Corrections.
Click here to apply for this program. Application deadline is March 31, 2025
The Agency Evaluation Tool for Women on Supervision (AETWS) process is typically completed over 6-8 months and includes four phases.
After the data is collected and summarized, each agency will use the AETWS scoring manual, to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities in each domain. The results can then serve as the foundation for strategic planning efforts and provide targeted recommendations to assist agencies in refining specific policies and practices. The results of the AETWS can also be used to change key practices and programs to be more responsive to women on supervision. Previous jurisdictions have used the results of the evaluation to implement strategies to launch training initiatives for staff in trauma-informed care and strength-based interventions, implement tools to support staff selection and hiring procedures; revise policies for assessment, supervision, technical violations, and supervision conditions; and expand collaboration with community providers.
Agencies invited to participate in the AETWS process, are required to identify a project coordinator responsible for managing each phase of the AETWS project. The project coordinator is encouraged to identify staff and other team members voluntarily and who share a strong interest in advancing outcomes for women and sex diverse populations. Ideally, team members will also share expertise in one or more of the domains. Generally, smaller agencies are encouraged to identify 4-6 team members, while larger agencies should consider six to eight team members. Team members should include staff with knowledge of AETWS domains, communication specialists, directly impacted women, and one or more community agency partners.