3 Evaluation Studies On The Effectiveness Of Services

The Human Excellences Resource Group, LLC (The H.E.R. Group) is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and is headed by Emmanuel & Elianah Avraham. Our company is formerly known as (Amer-I- Can Academy and The Life Skills Academy - LSA).

Study 1

Recidivism - Does It Work?

INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER:

Dr. Thomas 1--1. Brown, Ph.D., was chosen as non-partisan entity to complete work on the evaluation which was initiated to assess the effect of the New Jersey based program on the recidivism rate in the State of New Jersey. He was hired independently of both the New Jersey Department of Corrections and the Life Skills Academy (now known as The H.E.R. Group,LLC) Dr. Brown has had a history of working within education as well as in Corrections for the State of New Jersey and the State of New York. He serves on a number of boards for civic and community organizations. A portion of his vitae follows:

Education:

New York University Ph.D. 1979

New York University M.A. 1965

University of Maryland B.A. 1963

Professional Experience:

Former President (at time of research study Dr. Brown was President of Union County College)

Union County College Cranford, NJ 07016

Union County College, the public community college of and for Union County, NJ enrolls approximately 9,000 full-time and part-time students annually overall. It is composed of various campuses, Cranford, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Scotch Plains.

As president, Dr. Brown in responsible to the Board of Trustees for the College's efficient and effective operation and administration in accordance with policies adopted by the Trustees, including in particular authority to assign duties an delegate responsibilities to other members of the College staff. He is also the chief educational officer of the College, charged with the responsibility of establishing and maintaining an educational program of high academic quality.

Teaching Experience

Dr. Bro'*m has had fourteen (14) years full-time teaching in the fields of History and Political Science - United States History, Latin American History, Immigration History, Civil War and

Reconstruction, American, State and Local Government.

Cumberland County College 1967 - 1981

Mohawk Valley Community College 1984 - 1990, Vice President for Instruction

Lessburg State Prison and Farm Unit (1972 - 77)

Abstract

A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the Life Skills Academy Inc., (now known as The H.E.R. Group, LLC) training program as implemented with inmates of New Jersey prisons was undertaken covering a two year period. A random sample of 282 participants in the Life Skills Academy program stratified by year of graduation and corrections facility was drawn from the population of 3000 inmates who graduated from the program. Of the 282 subjects who comprised the sample, information was obtained on 262 individuals (92.9%). It was hypothesized that the recidivism rate of Life Skills Academy training program participants would be lower as compare to the recidivism rate of other New Jersey prison inmates at the .05 level of significance.

A recidivism rate of 2.67% for the sample of the graduates of the Life Skills Academy program was compared to a recidivism rate of 26% for inmates of New Jersey prisons over a two year period. The comparison of the recidivism rates resulted in a Z = -26.87, p< .01. The recidivism rate of the Life Skills Academy participants was significantly lower as compared to the recidivism rate of New Jersey prison inmates. In an overall assessment of the degree to which the participants have adjusted to life outside of prison, 86.3% reported they were doing ^t'good" to "excellent" and the median rating was 5, "excellent."

Perceived benefits of the Life Skills Academy program included increased self-motivation and self-esteem, group discussions, ability to relate to the facilitator/instructor, and increased skills in social communication. Respondents were asked to provide suggestions for improvements to the program. The highest percentage of suggestions for improvements to the program. The highest percentage of suggestions for improvements concerned the need for increased training of facilitators/instructors, support groups aftercare/release, and more meetings during the training.

Table of Contents

Page(s)

Method

1-2

Introduction

Results	5-9
Discussion	9-10
References	10
Tables	11-35
Figures	36
Appendix	41

During the 1990's, the media coverage of crime in America became a daily media feeding frenzy. Crime rates and horrific crime scenes make for good TV coverage.

Television programs such as "Cops," "America's Most Wanted," and "NYPD Blue" have captured America's attention. As Americans watch these programs with fascination and horror, the age-old question arises as to "What works?"

In the quest to answer "What works?" every profession has its own jargon and the field of corrections is certainly no exception. While the terminology is not as well-known as law enforcement, it abounds with terms such as recidivism, parole, retribution, prisonization, reintegration, probation, custodial, through care, offenders, restitution, incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, reform, neoretribution and re-arrest. Mention many of these terms to John Q. Public, however, and you often draw a blank stare.

Despite the startling fact that in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s over 5,900,000 people were incarcerated and another 4,100,000 were on probation or parole and 95% of them return to society in the United States, John Q. Public basically cares about two factors of the Corrections.

System: Cost and Punishment.

Like every profession, the Corrections System has a long history and is continually subject to analyzation and "reform."

Method

Subjects:

A random sample of 282 inmates of New Jersey Correctional Facilities who participated in the Life Skills Academy training program during the was drawn from the population of 3000 inmates who graduated from the program. The sample was stratified by year of participation in the Life Skills Academy training program. Demographic data on the 3000 inmates in the population of The Life Skills Academy graduates was unavailable so it could not be determined the degree to which the sample was representative of the population of interest.

Of the 282 subjects, 148 had completed their responsibilities to the New Jersey Department of Corrections - Parole Division, i.e., "maxed out" of parole, and were assigned to the Central Office Revenue Unit (CORU) for the purpose of payment of fines. The records of the remaining 134 subjects were analyzed in concert with the 13 Parole District Offices to determine the parolee's status, i.e., continuing parole, "maxed out”, returned to the State of New Jersey Department of Corrections, deported, or away without leave.

Survey Instrument:

The survey instrument was designed to collect information on the perceived growth of Life Skills Academy participants on specified objectives of the program, i.e., self - motivation/ attitudes, effective communication, goal setting, problem solving, decision making, emotional control, family relationships, financial responsibility, and job seeking/job retention. Questions designed to evaluate the instructional methods used in the program were included in the survey instrument.

The instrument was not pre-tested on the population of interest. A copy of the survey instrument is contained in the Appendix.

Design and Procedure

The recidivism rate, defined as the return to the State of New Jersey Department of Corrections of any person paroled from the custody of the Department, of the sample was compared with the recidivism rate of the group of individuals paroled from the State of New Jersey, Department of Corrections, during the same time period, i.e.,

Subjects under the supervision of the Parole District Offices were invited to respond to a survey instrument which was administered in a group setting, in an individual interview, or through mail.

Information on the subjects assigned to CORU was used to determine their status with regard to the criminal justice system. Of the 282 subjects who comprised the sample, information was obtained on 262 individuals (92.9%).

Responses to the survey instrument were analyzed using computational routines from the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS-X) (SPSS, Inc, 1988). Responses to open-ended questions contained in the survey instrument were content analyzed.

Results Recidivism Rate:

Of the 262 subjects, 7 (2.67%) had returned to a New Jersey State prison.Statistics provided by the New Jersey Department of Corrections indicated that the Recidivism rate for inmates in New Jersey State prisons during a two year per 26%. A one-tailed Z test was undertaken to compare the recidivism rate of The Life Skills Academy training program participants to the group of inmates who did not Participate in The Life Skills Academy training program.

The hypothesis under test was that the Recidivism rate of The Life Skills Academy participants would be significantly lower at the .05 level of significance. The comparison of the recidivism rates resulted in a Z = -26.87, p<.01 The recidivism rate of The Life Skills Academy participants was significantly lower as compared to the recidivism rate of inmates who did not participate in The Life Skills Academy training program.

Survey Responses:

Among the 15 Correctional Facilities in the State of New Jersey, responses to the survey instrument were received from 77 inmates who had been imprisoned in eight of these Facilities and who had participated in The Life Skills Academy training program. 11 (see Tables 1 and 2).

Analyses of the survey data revealed that participants were comprised of 77.9% Males and 22.1% females (see Figure 1 and Table 3). Ages reported by participants ranged from 20 years to 62 years with a median age of 33 years. The three categories of ages with the highest frequencies were 25 to 29 years (24.7%), 30 to 34 years (24.7%), and 35 to 39 years (22.1%) as shown in Figure 4 and Table 4.

The racial/ethnic profile reported by the participants was 68.8% Black, 16.9% Hispanic and 10.4% White (see Figure 2 and Table 5). Current marital status as presented in Table 6 was single (74.0%), married (10.4%), divorced/separated (11.7%), and widowed/widower (2.6%).

Over 50 of the participants had one dependent, 28.3% had two dependents, 13% had three dependents and 6.5% had four dependents with only 2.2% with five or more dependents (see Table 7). Only 20.8% of the participants were required to pay child support or alimony as shown in Table 8.

However, over 61.1% of the participants reported having earned a High School Diploma/GED or some post-secondary education (see Figure 3 and Table 9). These results are antithetical to that which is found in the research literature on education and imprisonment. One possible explanation may be the fact that the more educated inmate's willingness to participate in supplemental inmate education prison program is present here.

Numerous studies have documented the correlation between increased levels of education and employment. As might be expected from the observed relatively high level of educational achievement of these inmates, the percentage of inmates who were employed was also high, i.e.; 74% (see Tables 10-12).

Responses from inmates regarding previous employment as presented in Tables 13-14 show that only 40 of the respondents were employed prior to incarceration.

The current number of employed respondents, 57, represents a significant 43% increase in those employed after having been in prison and after having completed The Life Skills Academy training program. Although, undoubtedly, The Life Skills Academy educational program has had a significant effect, one cannot discount the booming economy of the late 1990's and early 2000’s as a factor for employment.

Another positive outcome was that 54.6% of the respondents have maintained active bank account (see Table 16). As one knows, a bank account is a good indication of successful reintegrating into society.

On the other hand, numerous studies have also shown that indebtedness, e.g., fines, do have a deleterious effect on successful reintegration into society. the responses of those surveyed were combined with the responses of the Central Office Revenue Unit (CORU) subjects, the results show that only .14.8% (33 out of 223) respondents do not have to repay a fine.

Several of the suggestions made by respondents to an open-ended question concerning improvements to the Life Skills Academy training program address the need for job seeking skills, job placement assistance, and an emphasis on self-reliance which would result in potentially an increased standard of living.

The highest percentage of suggestions for improvements as shown in Table 19 concerned the need for increased training of facilitators/instructors (12.1%), support groups after release (12.1%), and more meetings during the course of the program (9.1%).

Perceived benefits of the program by the highest percentage of respondents included the following: increased self-motivation and self-esteem, group discussions, ability to relate to the facilitator/instructor, and increased skills in social communication (see Table 20).

The specific components of Life Skills Academy program were identified. Respondents were asked to rate each component on a scale where 5 equaled "excellent" to 1 which equated to a rating of "poor." The "no opinion" response received zero weight. The median was calculated from each component of the training program.

As can be seen in Table 21 all of the components measure resulted in medians that ranged from 4, which represented a rating equal to "good", to 5, a rating of "excellent." In particular, the majority of respondents rated group discussions and facilitators/instructors as "excellent." Audio aides/tapes, lesson presentations, materials in the book, written exercises, examinations, and peer group members were typically rated as "good."

Other aspects of The Life Skills Academy training program identified by individual respondents as "excellent" were role playing, homework assignments, one-on-one counselors, teaching respect for the law, and course materials.

Respondents were asked to rate the degree to which The Life Skills Academy program assisted them in developing certain skills. The results presented in Table 22 show that all of the skills measured received a median of either 4, "good," or 5, "excellent." Self-motivation / attitude and goal setting evidenced a median score of 5, "excellent." Other skills rated "good" included: communication, problem solving / decision making, emotional control, maintenance of family relationships, financial responsibility, and job seeking / job retention.

In the overall assessment of the degree to which the participants have adjusted to life outside of prison, 86.3% reported they were doing ''good" to "excellent" and the median rating was 5, "excellent" (see Table 23).

Respondents were asked to provide suggestions for services needed for stability outside of prison. As can be seen in Table 24, the highest percentages of content analyzed responses concerned job placement (20.0%), education (16.7%), and working (16.7%).

Discussion

The results of this study are very encouraging. After two to three years of release from New Jersey State prison, only 2.6% of the survey participants were returned to a New Jersey State prison. All the more remarkable when numerous studies document that most parolee failures occur within the first 180 days of release.

The Life Skills Academy training program definitely does much more than just occupy an inmate’s time. This holistically designed approach to life after prison with its emphasis on education, career, family, home life, communication, self-esteem, problem solving, emotional control and finances has been successful in promoting normalization and thwarting prisonization.

This program undoubtedly has enabled inmates to better prepare for community life. This program has helped the maturation process of inmates as they prepare for re-entry into society.

The author is not naive enough to believe that The Life Skills Academy is the "only" answer. Undoubtedly parolee placement, age, peer group, employment, family stability and substance abuse are also viable factors in recidivism. But in answering the age old question - What works?

- The Life Skills Academy training program is clearly and unequivocally an answer - it works!

Reference

SPSS Inc. (1988). SPSS-X user's guide (3^rded.). Chicago, Illinois: Author.

Reference Notes

The Life Skills Academy is a new and improved company and product. Our new curriculum address all of the areas recommended in this research report. L.S.A. is currently developing an aftercare component which will improve the quality of service by assisting participants in areas of need.

Table 1

Corrections Facility

Corrections Facility Number of Respondents Percent

East Jersey 9 11.7

Albert Wagner 6 7.8

Northern State

Riverfront State

Edna Mahan

Garden State

South Woods

Mountainview

Union County Jail

Atlantic County Jail

Mercer County Correctional

28.6

9.1

22.1

9.1

1.3

5.2

1.3

2.6

Total

100.0

Table 2

Year of Graduation from Life Skills Academy training program

Graduation Year Number of Respondents Percent

1997

1998

Unspecified

77.9

18.2

3.9

Total

100.0

Table 3

Gender

Gender Number of Respondents Percent

Female

Male

22.1

77.9

Total

100.0

Table 4

Age Category

Age Category Number of Respondents Percent

Less than 25 years 6 7.8

25 to 29 years 19 24.7

30 to 34 years 19 24.7

35 to 39 years 17 22.1

40 to 44 years 6 7.8

45 to 49 years 3 3.9

50 to 54 years 4 5.2

55 to 59 years 1 1.3

More than 60 years 1 1.3

Unspecified 1 1.3

Total 77 100.0

Table 5

Racial / Ethnic Category

Racial Ethnic Category Number of Respondents Percent

Black

Hispanic

White

Unspecified

68.8

16.9

10.4

3.9

Total

100.0

Table 7

Number of Dependents

Dependents Number of Respondents Percent

One

Two

Three

Four

Five or More

50.0

28.3

13.0

6.5

2.2

Total

100.0

Table 8

Required to Pay Child Support or Alimony

Child Support] Alimony Number of Respondents Percent

Yes

Unspecified

20.8

76.6

2.6

Total

100.0

Table 9

Highest Level of Education Achieved

Education Level Number of Respondents Percent

Less than 9^thgrade

9^thto I I ^thgrade

High School Diploma GED

Some College or Post-secondary training

Two-year college Degree

Four-year college degree or higher

Other

Unspecified

24 27

6.5

31.2

35.1

19.5

5.2

1.3

0.0

1.3

Total

100.0

Table 10

Employment Status

Status Number of Respondents Percent

Employed

Unemployed

74.0

26.0

Total

100.0

Table 11

Current Job Title

Cashier	4	7.0
Sales Manager	2	3.5
Retail Manager	3	5.3
Salesman, Financial	1	1.8
Administrator	1	1.8
Cook		1.8
Unskilled Worker	2	3.5
Self-Employed	2	3.5
Dental Lab Technician	1	1.8
Service Industry Manager	2	3.5
Salesman	2	3.5
Maid/Domestic	1	1.8
Waiters/Waitresses	1	1.8
Food Preparation Occupation	2	3.5
Bellmen	1	1.8
Janitor	1	1.8
Groundskeeper	1	1.8
Food Processing Occupation	1	1.8
Chemical Processing	1	1.8
Field Technician	1	1.8
Electrical Assembler	1	1.8
Bench Work	1	1.8
Occupation in Glass	1	1.8
Press Forge Occupation	1	1.8
Miscellaneous Machine Trades	1	1.8
Carpenter	1	1.8
Construction Worker	2	3.5
Truck Driver	3	5.3
Motor Freight Occupation	2	3.5
Passenger Transportation	1	1.8
Railroad Transportation	1	1.8
Hoisting Conveying Occupation	3	5.3
Moving Materials	1	1.8
Packaging Materials	1	1.8
Disposal of Refuse	1	1.8
Lithographer	1	1.8
Computer Data Processing	2	3.5
Receptionist	1	1.8
Welder	1	1.8
Total	57	100.0

Job Title Number of Respondents Percent

Table 12

State in Which Employment is Located

State Number of Respondents Percent

New Jersey

New York

Pennsylvania

96.4

1.8

Total

100.0

Table 13

Employment Prior to Incarceration

Prior Employment Number of Respondents Percent

Yes

Unspecified

51.9

44.2

3.9

Total

100.0

Table 14

Prior Job Title

Prior Job Title Number of Respondents Percent

	Cashier	4		10.5
	Waiters & Waitresses	3		7.9
	Retail Management	4		10.5
	Guards and Watchmen	2		5.3
	Truck Driver	2		5.3
	Nurse’s Aide	1		2.6
	Dental Lab Technician	1		2.6
	Sales Management	1		2.6
	Receptionist	1		2.6
Sales Clerk Maid Domestic Cook Barber Field Technician Welder Carpenter Construction Worker Moving Materials Motor Freight Occupation Packaging Materials Passenger Transportation Unskilled Worker Occupation in Distribution of Water Military			1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 1 1		2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.6 5.3 5.3 2.6 5.3 5.3 2.6 2.6 2.6
Total			38		100.0

Table 15

Valid New Jersey Driver's License

NJ Driver's License

Yes

Unspecified

Number of Respondents

Percent

44.2

54.5

1.3

Total

100.0

Bank Account

Yes

Unspecified

Number of Respondents

Percent

54.5

44.2

1.3

Total

100.0

Table 16

Fine to Repay

Fine

Yes

Unspecified

Number of Respondents

Percent

55.8

42.9

1.3

Total

100.0

Table 17

Previous Criminal Record

Previous Record Number of Respondents Percent

Yes

Unspecified

61.0

36.4

2.6

Total

100.0

Table 18

Areas for Improvement to the Life Skills Academy training program

Areas Number of Responses Percent

Facilitators Need Training

Support Groups After Release

More Meetings

Don't Switch Facilitators

Expand Into Schools

Too Long on Topic

More Speakers

Tests

Stress Self-Reliance

Better Instructors

Release Program

Classes Bigger

Job Seeking Skills

Facilitators More Open

Update Handbook

Better Supplies

Show How Live Better

Job Placement Assistance

12. 1

12.1

9.1

6.1

3.0

Total

100.0

Note. — Respondents were permitted to make multiple responses.

Table 19

Benefits of the Life Skills Academy training program

Benefits Number of Responses Percent

Self-Motivation

Setting Goals

Set Life in Order

Group Discussions

Relate to Facilitator

Social Communication

People Management Skills

Self-Esteem

Problem Solving Value Family Matters

Textbook

Decision Making

People Who Care

Tools and Process

Respect Others

Control Emotions

Self-Inventory Positive Role Model

Life Skills

Speakers

Responsible Citizens

Behavior Modifications

18.0

5.5

4.2

12.5

9.7

6.8

4.2

11.1

4.2

1.4

2.8

1.4

2.8

1.4

Total

100.0

Note. — Respondents were permitted to make multiple responses.

Table 20

Adjustment to Life Outside of Prison

Rating Number of Respondents Percent

Excellent 41 56.2

Good 22 30.1

Undecided

Fair

Poor

No Opinion

0.0

8.2

1.4

4.1

Total 73

100.0

Note. — The median rating was 5.0, SD = .966.

Table 21

Suggestions for Services Needed for Stability Outside of Prison

Services Number of Responses Percent

Job Placement

Education

Working

Maintain Priorities

Out Reach Program

Job Seeking Skills

Good Family Friends

Stay Away from Wrong Crowd

Keep Occupied

Others Who Believe in Me

Employment Training

Drug Rehabilitation

More Education on STD

20.0

16.7

6.6

3.3

Total

100.0

Figures

Respond

LIFE SKILLS ACADEMY INTERVIEW FORM

1-2

Date:

4-9

Name:

Prison:

40-41

Inmate Information Number:

42-56

An evaluation is being conducted of The Life Skills Academy training program. As graduate of the program, you can provide valuable information that can be used to improve services to you and to others.

Home address:

Street 57-81

City 82-100 state 101-102 Zip Code 130-

Name and address of your employer:

Company Name 108-132

Street 133-157 City 158-176 State 177-178 Zip Code 179-183

Current job title:

184 - 186

Were you employed prior to incarceration? 1 Yes 2 No 187

If yes, please provide the last job title and length of employment prior to incarceration:

Previous Job Title:

188-190

Length of time employed in this job:

191-196

Please circle the number which best represents your gender? I Male 2 Female 187

197

What is your date of birth? Month Day _Year

198-203

Please circle the racial/ethnic category that best describes you: 204

1 American Indian/Alaskan Native 2 Asian/Pacific Islander 3 Black, Non-Hispanic

4 Hispanic 5 Non-Hispanic

What is the highest level of education you have completed currently? 205
- Less than 9^thgrade
- 9^thto I grade
- High school diploma or GED
- Some college or post- secondary training
- Two- year college degree
- Four- year college degree or higher
- Other, please
¹That is your current family status? 206

1 Single 2 Married 3 Divorced/Separated 4 Widower/Widow

Number of dependents:

207-208

Are you required to pay child support or alimony? 2 Yes 209
Do you currently hold a valid New Jersey Driver's License? 1 No 2 Yes

210

13. Do you currently maintain a bank account? 1 No 2 Yes

14. Do you have a fine to repay? 1 No 2 Yes

211

212

15. Do you have a previous criminal record? 1 No 2 Yes

213

Did you graduate from the Life Skills Academy program in 1997 or 1998? l. 1997 2. 1998

214

What part of the Life Skills Academy program did you feel benefitted you most?

215-216

217-218

219-220

What areas of the Life Skills Academy should be improved? How?

221-222

223-224

225-226

Please rate each of the following training components of the program:

Excellent Good Undecided Fair Poor No

Opinion

Audio Aides/Tapes

227

Group Discussions

Lesson Presentations
Materials in the books

230

Written Exercises

231

Examinations

232

Facilitator

233

Peer Group Members

234

Others, please specify'

235 236

237 238

Please rate the Life Skills Academy program in terms of the degree to which it helped you develop each of the following skills:

Skill	Excellent		Good	Undecided	Fair	Poor No
Skill	Excellent		Good	Undecided	Fair		Opinion
Self-motivation/attitude 239	5		4	3	2	1	0
Communication 240	5		4	3	2	1	0
Goal Setting 241	5		4	3	2	1	0
Problem Solving/decision 242 making	5		4	3	2	1
Emotional Control 243	5		4	3	2	1	0
Maintenance of Family Relationships 244	5		4	3	2	1	0
Financial responsibility 245	5		4	3	2	1	0
Job Seeking /Job retention 246	5		4	3	2	1
Other, please specify:		5	4	3	2	1	0
247 248		5	4	3	2
21. In your opinion, to what degree have you adjusted to life outside of prison?
5 Excellent 4 Good 3 Undecided 2 Fair 1 Poor

Opinion

What services beyond those currently available would you need in order to maintain stability outside of prison?

250

251

252

Signature: Date:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THIS EVALUATION STUDY.

THE COMPLETE REPORT WITH MISSING PAGES UPON REQUEST

STUDY 2

This Study was performed Independently by the Contemporary Services Group, LLC (CSG)

The Human Excellence Resource Group LLC (The HER Group, LLC) is an organization that provides human development training to participants who were incarcerated and previously incarcerated and under employable.

The HER Group is to repair the breach of broken lives, homes and communities by teaching the disciplines needed to become responsible and successful to oneself in life, relationships, employment and/or business. The sessions identifies a person’s thought processes and aid in improving decision making skills and understand the importance of re-devoting their commitments to themselves, their families and their community.

The HER Group, LLC recently enrolled a core group of participants referred from the State of Georgia Department of Corrections, The United States Federal Bureau of Probation, Atlanta Workforce Development Agency, Atlanta Day Reporting Center, and Atlanta Community Impact Program.

In the first initial session, individuals participated in a 45 hour course of three days a week for six weeks. The program consisted of 18 sessions of human development training from The HER Groups sixteen core curriculum program.

Contemporary Services Group, LLC (CSG) was asked to independently perform a evaluation of the services of the participants to create a tool to give a baseline for success of current and future participants of the program.

CSG, created a survey tool to measure the self reported attitudes, preconceived perceptions, willingness to learn and communicate, document the decision and the determination that individual participants have at the beginning of the program in conjunction with the determination and thoughts about the class, facilitators and changes the individuals commit to throughout the participation and the length of commitment for the self reported goals up to two years after attending the class.

The questions documented what types of referrals were made for various participants, including those under supervision upon entering the program by force (strong suggestion of probation/parole officers) to use it as a baseline to measure cognitive change in each of the areas for future participants with the same circumstances, tracking current participants while on supervision after completing the course, verses the participants in the class voluntarily but are also under supervision and participants from other sources.

This tool will be the initial baseline used as a tracking mechanism for the long term monitoring of the participants after completing a class with The HER Group to measure life changes and choices relating to risk behaviors, substance abuse, recidivism, family relationships and employment stability on single job or with the successful transition of employment where unemployment lasts for no longer than 60 days.

The initial participant surveys reported the areas where each participant during the class to devoted and define themselves to commitment to improving themselves as productive human beings.

Eighty percent (80%) of the participants listened and related a self report of a positive experience from the initial Life Management sessions which were impactful enough for these participants to self identify two things they needed to change in order to adopted and develop a more accepted behavior.

Eighty five percent (85%) of the participants expressed a habit and attitudes that they wanted to change. Eighty five percent (85%) of nine participants focused on the need to have more effective communications with their family relationships as an area that they needed to work on which was an important part of their attending class to help those relationships mature.

Each participant was asked to completed a set of questions about the services and their experiences provided by The HER Group Human Development sessions. Overall, 99% of the participants in the first initial session found The HER Groups program beneficial to assisting in changing the mindset needed to become successful to themselves, their families and their communities.

PROGRAM SATISFACTION SURVEY

The independent questions and data analysis was administered and reported by Contemporary Services Group, LLC a consulting firm with over fifteen years of experience providing services to public housing, government entities and community based programs in the southeastern United States.

The participant information is cumulative for this report and only CSG have the participants identifying information relating to the individual answers on surveys and identifying information to monitor one survey against the others with a tracking methodology to match the first, succession and last survey answers to the same participants in The HER Group programs or for tracking purposes under supervision.

Each participant was given several selections to describe what they learned the first week of the program; this was asked to see if the participants were actually listening during the first week of the class. Several participants were there for the first week of class the week the survey was administered, one was there for the first time the day of the survey. Eighty eight percent (88%) of the participants learned the purpose of The HER Group LLC.

Ninety eight percent (98%) of the participants listened to the introduction of the program. When the participants were asked to rate the orientation, ninety nine (99%) of the participants responded positively to the orientation and the orientation process. Seventy three (73%) of the participants rated the orientation as excellent and twenty six (26%) of the participants rated the orientation as good, with one percent (1%) not responding at all.

When the participants were asked if they were forced to participate in The HER Group program, twenty five (25%) of the participants stated that they were forced to participate in the program. Seventy five (75%) of the participants reported that they were given a choice and were referred by their probation officers from various probation services.

When participants were asked if they thought the program was helpful and if they desired to complete the program, one hundred percent (100%) of the participants wanted to complete the program and ninety nine (99%) of the participants considers the program helpful to their human and social development, and improving their current situation.

Participants were asked if they thought they would feel better and more confident after completing the program. One hundred percent (100%) of the participants reported that they would feel better about themselves with more confidence after completing the program. Outlook was positive for one hundred percent (100%) of the participants all were seeking some type of personal growth and confidence.

Participants were asked if they would make changes for success if they knew how to proceed. One hundred percent (99%) of the participants reported that they would make changes for success if they knew how. With less than one percent (1%) did not respond to the question.

Study 3