Wellbeing & Equity Innovations

STUDY PROJECTS

Long-term Evaluation of the 5-Key Model for Reentry Multisite Filter RCT

 RTI International is conducting a research study funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice to understand the impact of services following release from prison, identify participant outcomes, and determine the costs and benefits of service for reentering citizens. Participants in this project are being asked to take part in the long-term evaluation because they previously participated in the Multi-site Randomized Controlled Trial of the 5 Key Model for Reentry with FSU/WEI. The services evaluated in the follow-up are those provided by the project program. 

Artificial Intelligence Enabled Community Supervision for Criminal Justice Services

 This project is on the development and evaluation of an application called Gaining Occupational and Life Skills (GOALS) for individuals under correctional supervision. This population experiences high rates of recidivism and poor well-being outcomes, and there are insufficient tools to effectively support them. The GOALS app has the potential to augment human support services, improve utilization of supportive interventions, overcome barriers to help, and improve community corrections client outcomes. The intervention is paired with a smartwatch and smartphone and guides participants through an adapted version of the 5-Key Model for Reentry, a model that was developed for individuals releasing from incarceration and tested in a multistate; multisite randomized control trial. The early data from the trial supports the efficacy of the intervention. If the GOALS app is feasible, acceptable, appropriate, and associated with improved outcomes, it will identify new directions of research and innovations for the use of mobile applications supported by artificial intelligence and machine learning to promote well- being and community stability of justice-involved individuals. 

Infusing Well-being and Peer Support into Nebraska Reentry Innovations

 The project is a collaboration between the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) and the Wellbeing & Equity Innovations (WEI). The project activities will take place in Nebraska correctional facilities and centers. The WEI team members on the project live and work in Nebraska. The NDCS mission is to keep people safe. WEI’s mission is to use science to improve lives, communities, and institutions by developing and researching innovations that reduce unnecessary reliance on the criminal justice system and by offering solutions that produce equity and prosperity across race, socioeconomic class, and behavioral health status. This project is currently being rolled out into 9 facilities throughout the state of Nebraska.