Crime Prevention & Justice

THE CHOICE IS YOURS (TCY)
Funder: The Lenfest Foundation
Project Time Period: 2012-2015

Project Category: Crime & Violence Reduction/Formative Evaluation/Summative Evaluation

About TCY: TCY is a Philadelphia-based alternative-to-incarceration program for first-time, nonviolent felony drug dealers facing one- to two-year minimum mandatory state prison sentences. Participants receive community-based services and are monitored by the court system for approximately one year.

The Work: MAI conducted a formative and summative evaluation of TCY. This effort combined both qualitative and quantitative methods, such as site visits, focus groups, baseline and follow-up participant surveys, and criminal records. MAI has also worked to bolster program implementation by building upon an existing data collection system and establishing benchmarks for the program.

What We Learned: Download MAI's “The Choice is Yours: Early Implementation of a Diversion Program for Felony Offenders” report to learn about the key implementation lessons gleaned from the evaluation.