Evaluating the Recidivism Rates for Parolees Enrolled in M-COIT, a Community Mental Health/ Substance Abuse Treatment Program

This paper focuses on an evaluation of recidivism rates of parolees with severe and persistent mental illness enrolled in a mental health/ substance abuse treatment program (M-COIT) at a community mental health center in southeastern Michigan. The two partners in the study were a community mental health center located in a city bordering the southern part of Detroit and Eastern Michigan University located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The purpose of the study was to identify the recidivism rates and factors that affected these rates for parolees who participated in the M-COIT Program. This was a retrospective medical record review. The practical participatory evaluation was stakeholder driven; the organization’s staff initiated the evaluation and participated directly in the process from start to finish, including setting objectives and expectations, instrument development, data collection, analysis and interpretation, and reporting of outcomes. Results reported are for the parolees who participated in the program from 2004 to 2006. Implications for public health are addressed