SBIR Phase I: Reducing Recidivism Through Technology: Connecting People Released from Incarceration to Resources and Communities in the 21st Century

这个SBIR第一阶段项目建议使用一个软件系统来减少累犯率，该软件系统旨在通过教育培训和支持系统引起积极的行为改变。美国的监禁率是世界上最高的，每年有数十万人从监狱和监狱获释，再次犯罪率高达每两个获释人员中就有一个在三年内重返监狱。累犯率影响了各州的惩戒成本和纳税人，从高等教育、交通和医疗保健等项目中转移了州政府的资金，同时降低了生产工人的税基，增加了对社会服务的需求，并影响了公共安全。在人力成本方面，重新监禁是累犯个人的损失，是对人的潜力的浪费，是对家庭、社区和社区的负面影响。该项目是一项具有广泛社会影响的高风险、高回报的提案。它有可能降低纳税人的矫正成本，改善以前被监禁的人及其家人的生活，增加生产性和纳税个人的数量，减少对社会服务的需求，并支持社区、社区和整个社会。该项目提供了一个专门为97%的被监禁个人的需求而设计的教育平台，这些人后来从监禁中获释，并试图在机构或社会提供最少支持的情况下重新进入社会。注册用户将可以访问一个方便用户的网站，根据个人情况适当地提供与重新进入有关的课程和内容，并可以访问为用户提供浏览网站及其软件所需的技术技能的可及课程。该项目以教育理论为基础，将利用流行的教育努力，如开发基于能力的学习模式和创建可定制的教育体验，以开发和提供以重返社会为重点的课程，以个人为基础接触孤立的学习者，为其特定受众创建虚拟生态系统，并通过各种机制收集反馈。疗效将通过使用各种累犯率指标跟踪注册用户在出狱后的成功情况来衡量。该项目将在地方一级进行测试，然后进行扩展，以满足国家对监禁后重新进入社会的个人人口改善行为结果的需求。

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to reduce recidivism using a software system developed to elicit positive behavioral changes through an educational training and support system. The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, with hundreds of thousands of people annually released from prison and jail and recidivism rates as high as one out of every two people released returning to incarceration within three years. The rate of recidivism impacts the cost of corrections and taxpayers in every state, diverting state dollars from programs such as higher education, transportation, and health care, while decreasing the tax base of productive workers, increasing the need for social services, and impacting public safety. In terms of human costs, re-incarceration is a personal loss for the recidivist, a waste of human potential, and a negative impact on families, neighborhoods, and communities. This project is a high-risk high-return proposal with broad society impact. It has the potential to decrease the cost of corrections for taxpayers, improve the lives of formerly incarcerated people and their families, increase the number of productive and tax-paying individuals, decrease demand on social services, and support neighborhoods, communities, and society as a whole.This project provides an educational platform specifically designed for the needs of the 97 percent of incarcerated individuals who are subsequently released from incarceration and attempting to re-enter society with minimal support from institutions or society. Registered users will have access to a user-friendly website, re-entry related curriculum and content appropriately delivered on an individualized basis, and access to an in-reach curriculum that provides users with the technological skills necessary to navigate the website and its software. Grounded in educational theory, this project will utilize trending educational efforts such as developing competency-based learning models and creating customizable educational experiences in order to develop and deliver its re-entry focused curriculum, reach isolated learners on a personal basis, create a virtual ecosystem for its specific audience, and collect feedback through a variety of mechanisms. Efficacy will be measured by tracking registered users' success upon release from incarceration using a variety of recidivism metrics. The project will be tested at the local level and then scaled to meet the national need for improved behavioral outcomes from the population of individuals re-entering society following incarceration.