Fedelity Unit

MISSION

Effective rehabilitation helps offenders succeed when they integrate back into their communities so that they do not return to a life of crime. To ensure fidelity to the California Logic Model, California's rehabilitation model based on evidence-based principles, the Fidelity Unit of Office of Rehabilitative Program Planning and Accountability provides formative evaluations, program development, continuous quality improvement and technical assistance to ensure fidelity and quality.

HISTORY – Fidelity Unit

The Fidelity Unit was established in CDCR’s 2008-2009 budget to assist with the implementation of evidence-base reforms in rehabilitative programming in California’s prison system.  The reforms are the result of Assembly Bill 900, the Public Safety and Offender Rehabilitation Services Act of 2007.  AB 900 moves California away from an outdated model of prisoner incarceration to institutions that create opportunities for change – to reduce the rate at which inmates released from prison commit more crimes.

The reforms use evidence-based rehabilitation – academic, vocational, substance abuse, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other programs – to help offenders succeed so that they do not return to a life of crime.  The Fidelity Unit develops protocols for quality management of evidence-based programs and the California Logic Model. The California Logic Model is a detailed, sequential description of how California should apply the eight evidence-based principles and practices and what effective rehabilitation programming (including treatment) would look like if California were to implement our recommendations.

Fidelity Unit’s ROLE

The Fidelity Unit assists with program implementation, deploys program assurance approval standards, develops performance measures, and develops quality assurance monitoring processes to assure program fidelity, provide formative evaluations for programming and provide technical assistance to the field as an outcome of different forms of evaluations.

The Fidelity Unit works with CDCR staff to implement new programs and processes, such as the offender Risk and Needs Assessment tool and the offender case management plan.  It provides an opportunity for obtaining early warning information when the program operation is not true to its design or if additional staff training is needed.  This information assists CDCR in “course correction” early on when needed.  The Fidelity Unit ensures that the implementation of new programs and changes to current programs are consistent with program design and intent.  It also works with CDCR staff to implement new programs, such as the Risk and Needs Assessment and the case management plan development process.

Other measures used by the Fidelity Unit to ensure program quality and fidelity to evidence-based practices include:

• Using a cross section of staff on the review teams;
• Assuring the process is supportive and coaching-oriented;
• Creating a culture of learning and continuous improvement (Plan Do Check Act model);
• Including a feedback opportunity;
• Using incremental measurements based on multiple measures that are reliable and valid;
• Basing measurements based on multiple domains;
• Issuing systematic Plans of Action to support improvements;
• Assisting with technical assistance as follow up based on process and outcome evaluations that are completed by the Office of Research;
• Onsite program consultation and training: