Evaluation of the project PRODECREO to promote the rights and socio-occupational reintegration of women deprived of their liberty in the Dominican Republic

Title PRODECREO – Promoviendo Derechos, Fortaleciendo Capacidades y Creando Oportunidades para la Integración de Mujeres Privadas de Libertad en la Sociedad Dominicana

Location CCR Banì Mujeres, Province of Peravia and CCR Rafey Mujeres, Province of Santiago de Los Caballeros, Dominican Republic

Lead partner Universidad ISA

Partners Made in Carcere, Red ADELDOM

Funding  EuropeAid

 

Context

In 2019, the Dominican Republic launched the Plan de Humanización del Sistema Penitenciario, a reform by which it intended to change the imprisonment system to make it more humane. Currently, the system consists of 42 centers, of which 21 follow the new management model and are identified as Centros de Corrección y Rehabilitación (Correction and Rehabilitation Centers, CCRs), 19 still follow the old management model and are identified as Public Prisons, and finally there are 2 Preventive Prisons.

In CCRs, they accommodate a number of inmates less than or equal to the maximum allowed capacity; they are administered by VTP officers and licensed staff divided by specific areas, including security, legal services, health services, education services, administration and center management. CCRs have larger spaces than Public Prisons and more space is devoted to social and social reintegration programs, training and recreational activities.
In CCRs, the goal is to promote rehabilitation and that is why educational programs are fundamental.

The project Promoviendo Derechos, Fortaleciendo Capacidades y Creando Oportunidades para la Integración de Mujeres Privadas de Libertad en la Sociedad Dominicana (Promoting Rights, Strengthening Capacities and Creating Opportunities for the Inclusion of Women Deprived of Liberty in Dominican Society, PRODECREO) aims to improve the quality of life of women in detetion in the Baní and Rafey Mujeres CCRs. By strengthening their technical skills and working on their self-esteem, coping skills, psychological and socio-relational well-being, the project aims to achieve two objectives: first, to improve the lives of women within the Center and second, to pave the way to facilitate both the path to reintegration into work and reintegration into society.

General Objective

The project PRODECREO partners engaged the M&E and Impact Evaluation Unit to carry out the initial evaluation, final evaluation, and social impact assessment of the project using SROI methodology.

 

Ou contribution

ARCO’s evaluation work consisted of 3 stages:

  • The initial evaluation, conducted during the first year of activity, allowed Researchers to grasp the peculiarities of the situation before the implementation of project activities.
  • The final evaluation, conducted at the end of the project, allowed to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, impact and sustainability as well as the changes generated by the project on the multidimensional well-being of women deprived of their liberty.
  • The social impact assessment using the SROI methodology, carried out by ARCO with the support of ISA University, allowed the exploration of the outcomes triggered on key stakeholders, achieving the synthetic social return on investment index.
SROI index indice social return on investment social impact impatto sociale

The application of the methodology resulted in an SROI of 3.02. This means that for every euro invested, a social and economic return of 3.02 euro was generated.

The M&E and Impact Evaluation Unit designed a qualitative-quantitative evaluation methodology combined with the analysis of documents produced. The data were collected through participatory activities in which both women deprived of liberty and agents of the CCRs, the Procuraduría General (Attorney General’s Office), and other relevant stakeholders such as representatives of the New Management Model, the National School of Prison Officers (ENAP) participated.

 

 

Read more on our M&E and Impact Evaluation Unit