Influence of Organizational Characteristics on Success in Implementing Process Improvement Goals in Correctional Treatment Settings

Although research indicates that organizational characteristics substantially influence the adoption and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), there has been little empirical research on organizational factors most likely to influence successful implementation of EBPs, particularly in criminal justice settings. This study examined organizational characteristics related to the success of change teams in achieving improvements in assessment and case-planning procedures for persons leaving correctional settings and receiving community services. In this evaluation of the Organizational Process Improvement Intervention (OPII), part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA’s) Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJDATS) cooperative, 21 sites were randomized to an early-start or a delayed-start condition. For this analysis, data from both conditions were combined. Agencies with fewer program needs, good communication, adequate staffing levels, good supervision, positive attitude toward rehabilitation, and higher institutional capacity for change were better able to implement planned changes in assessment and case-planning procedures. Such agencies may be better candidates for implementation improvement strategies, whereas other agencies could benefit from pre-intervention efforts aimed at strengthening these characteristics before attempting to improve assessment procedures.