When departments of corrections target services to people who are incarcerated, these services can help reduce the likelihood that those individuals will engage in criminal activity when released. Too often, however, criminal justice agencies lack the information they need to know whether the programs they offer to inmates are effective. In Iowa, corrections leaders have pursued an innovative approach that allows the best available research to guide their choices.
Through its partnership with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative, the Iowa Department of Corrections conducted an inventory of its current programs, collected data on their design and capacity, and used rigorous research studies to categorize programs by the likelihood that they will reduce recidivism.