The Matrix

Iowa Department of Corrections

The Matrix is an intranet-based data management system developed by Iowa’s Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services to assess the risk and need of offenders and match them with available treatment resources and supervision strategies.

Description

This computerized assessment tool synthesizes re- sults from a dozen individual validated risk assess- ment tools, each of which has been evaluated and sold by outside organizations. The Matrix enables community corrections officers in the Sixth Judi- cial District, which has purchased each of these individual tools, to enter results in a single form and adjust supervision methods accordingly.

The purpose of collecting this data on one form is to identify available treatment options and necessary accountability measures. The Matrix automates the process of identifying appropriate options, based on risk, need, and responsiveness, and presents those options to agents along with a range of information for decision support. It is also helping the District to develop protocols for delivering effective services while using resources wisely, andit provides administrators useful infor- mation for agency-wide resource allocation. The Matrix consists of two axes: risk (control) and need (treatment). Four levels are possible on each axis: low, moderate, elevated, and high. The client population is divided into groups and subgroups, with specific control and treatment options available to each via Matrix screens. The Matrix interfaces with a database to provide agents data on offender success rates, program effec- tiveness, client profiles, and other information.

With this information, staff select the appropriate option, and the Matrix automatically displays the aggregate success rate for the option selected as applied in the District.

Courts in the Sixth Judicial District have en- dorsed the Matrix and sentence people according to the graduated sanctions continuum—although the judge retains the ability to set specific sentenc- ing criteria. By placing offenders on this contin- uum, community corrections can move them up and down as they see fit (based on outcomes from the Matrix). Community corrections officers, how- ever, can not send a parolee to jail for technical violations, but can send them to a halfway house and can move a parolee to an unsupervised level.