Quality Assurance (CPAI)

The original CPAI emanated from the extensive body of literature on the principles of effective correctional treatment. The major objective of the creators of the CPAI, Dr. Paul Gendreau and Dr. Don Andrews, was to develop a method to document the strengths and weaknesses of “real world” programs with the goal of making correctional systems more accountable and effective.  The CPAI was first used in 1990 to assess 100 Correctional Service Canada substance abuse programs. Subsequently, the CPAI has been employed in other large-scale surveys of offender programs in Canada and a variety of programs in several states across the U.S., Australia, and NewZealand.

The present version of the CPAI, the CPAI-2000 (Gendreau & Andrews 2002), has incorporated a number of new items. The current version assesses eight dimensions of a correctional program: organizational culture, program implementation and maintenance, management and staff characteristics, client risk and need practices, program characteristics, core correctional practices, inter-agency communication, and evaluation. Most of these new items focus on the core correctional practices of treatment programs with particular emphasis on staff characteristics and treatment practices. Thus, the CPAI-2000 provides a more precise estimate of the basic elements of a program’s treatment protocol.

After over a decade of working with the CPAI, a general consensus has emerged that the measure may be used to:

• Evaluate funding proposals
• Help programs articulate what they do
• Identify credible rationale for treatment
• Identify program deficits
• Identify and support effectiveness
• Provide education for staff
• Stimulate relevant research

The Indiana Team has participated in 32 hours of training.  Training has consisted of how to administer and score the CPAI 2000, how to write reports on the assessment protocol, and how to re-assess programs.  In addition, the Indiana Team has been trained in Core Correctional Practices which covers: effective reinforcement response cost/effective disapproval, effective use of authority, anti-criminal modeling, structured learning for skill building, cognitive restructuring, problem solving techniques, and relationship skills.  Team Indiana has a core group of dedicated individuals who are working to make Correctional Programs in Indiana better.  The Team has representatives from Community Corrections, Probation, the Indiana Judicial Center, the Indiana Department of Correction, a university and the private sector.  Correctional programs may contact any member of the Indiana Team for more information or to schedule an assessment.

CPAI-2000 Team Indiana Members: