Evaluation of the Hartlepool Dordrecht Initiative
Dr Andrea Abbas, John Harrison, Prof Robert MacDonald, Roger Moore, Dr Tracy Shildrick, Dr Mark Simpson
Sponsor/collaborating institutions
Youth Research Group School, Social Sciences & Law, Teesside University.
Background
The Hartlepool Dordrecht Initiative aims to address the problem of repeat offenders, particularly those committing domestic burglary, who either live or commit offences within the Hartlepool area and specifically within the New Deal for Communities boundary. The project is based on a successful initiative developed in the Dutch city of Dordrecht. Key features of this initiative are the intensive programme of supervision, the holistic support offered to offenders by the various agencies in the Initiative and the swift action taken to return those who fail to comply with the scheme to court; in most cases a custodial sentence is likely to follow this action.
Aims
The overall aim of this evaluation is to assess the success or otherwise of the Dordrecht Initiative in meeting its own, central aim of contributing to the reduction of domestic burglary rates in Hartlepool, chiefly by facilitating the rehabilitation of high volume offenders.
Methods
The key elements of the three year evaluation will involve:
- An analysis of local and national data on re-offending.
- An analysis of DI records.
- Qualitative interviews with DI participants and non participants.
- Qualitative interviews with representatives of DI stake holding groups.
Key findings
The following are initial indicative findings:
- The rationale on which the Dordrecht project is based is sound, particularly in relation to the composition of the target group and target area.
- The multifaceted but overall positive perception of success by participants and stakeholders clearly indicates that there are a number of strengths to current practice.
- The investment of time, resources and multi-agency support given to participants is noteworthy and appears to have positive consequences in at least some cases.
