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TRANSCRIPT
EVALUATION REPORT
Clean Slate Initiative August 2019
Prepared by Danielle de Garcí a, Independent Evaluator
Prepared for the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Introduction and Project Background __________________________________________________________________ 1
Evaluation Purpose ______________________________________________________________________________________ 3
Evaluation Questions ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3
Evaluation Design and Methods ________________________________________________________________________ 4
Findings and Conclusions _______________________________________________________________________________ 6
Effectiveness _______________________________________________________________________________________ 6
Implementation __________________________________________________________________________________ 14
Recommedations________________________________________________________________________________________ 20
Page 1
Introduction and Project Background
Deschutes County has a recognized drug prevention problem, with high levels of recidivism and, until recently, a traditional prosecutorial strategy. In trying to understand the broader context of community safety, the District Attorney’s office identified both a challenge and an opportunity in drug-related offenses. A key driver of increasing drug arrests is that known offenders are being re-arrested for drug possession or for committing other crimes, including theft. The county recognized its traditional prosecutorial strategy as having been ineffective in combatting this issue and, as such, launched the Goldilocks initiative in 2017 in partnership with a variety of local law enforcement and medical provider partners to try to address the problem. The Goldilocks model works in three primary tiers:
- Clean Slate: A pre-charge diversion program for those suspected to have Possession of a Controlled Substance (PCS). The program aims to divert people from the criminal justice system and instead moves them towards health facilities to deal with addiction, mental health issues, and other health-related needs. The program has had about 200 participants to-date.
- Boost: For suspects who were not successful in Clean Slate, or who are charged with a drug crime more severe than PCS. These individuals are prosecuted via the “traditional” criminal justice system model. If eligible, and subject to availability, people in this tier may have the opportunity to enter the Circuit Court’s Family Drug Court program.
- Deter: The District Attorney seeks the maximum sentence for individuals that are charged with a commercial drug offense and have a history of drug manufacturing, delivery, or selling drugs to a minor.
By launching the Goldilocks initiative, Deschutes County is committed to addressing the root causes of this issue through a model which recognized linkages between criminal justice, addiction, community safety, and mental health. As the program has now been implemented for a year and half, and thus has its first batch of eligible individuals for graduation, the District Attorney’s office along with all of the Goldilocks partners and staff have rightly recognized the need to measure, monitor, and evaluate the Clean Slate portion of the initiative to determine what is working well, what isn’t, and where the model or its implementation could be improved.
THEORY OF CHANGE
Safer communities in Deschutes County
Reduced burden on criminal justice actors
Reduced # of cases
Reduced days in jail
Reduction in crime rates (PCS and theft)
Reduction in recidivism
rates
Improved health outcomes
Fewer substance
abuse disorders
Improved access to medical
facilities and treatment
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By linking PCS suspects to available medical resources; through targeted screening tools, facilitation of
meetings and referrals with healthcare providers and insurance providers, Clean Slate intends to
contribute to community well-being through the following (simplified) outcomes:
IMPLEMENTATION
The original Goldilocks plan was drafted for the 2016 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Safety and Justice Challenge. The grant funds received through this Challenge enabled the Goldilocks
partners a full year to plan and refine the initial program concept and implement a six-month pilot of the
program. During this planning period, the Clean Slate program evolved significantly - moving from a
concept that required a fulltime dedicated DDA, to a program with a weekly orientation. Two months prior
to program launch, which was in November 2017, and through the first three months of program
implementation, the administration team conducted a substantial outreach effort with all law enforcement
and the medical partners. The outreach effort provided trainings for all partner organizations to ensure
that staff were aware of the program and could ask questions. It was recognized that the program would
require a culture change and that a mechanism was necessary to share program goals, the model, and any
updates with staff that didn’t participate in the planning meetings.
At the end of the pilot study (May 2018), the program was funded through the COQHA grant supported by
the Central Oregon Independent Practice Association. Over the course of the first full program year, all
partner and individual agency meetings continued to occur regularly to address identified needs and
challenges, which fostered the continued growth and evolution of the program. A second outreach effort
was conducted in fall 2018 that included visiting each law enforcement agency's briefings to provide
updates on the program to ensure officers and deputies were aware of program changes. It also provided
another opportunity for the staff at each agency to ask questions and address concerns in hopes of building
more program buy-in.
Working with law enforcement and the health care providers to implement the program, the DA's Office
manages the program on a small budget with two part-time program administrators. As envisioned, when
an individual is cited with a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance, the law enforcement officer is
supposed to provide the participant with a Clean Slate card, which informs them of the program, advises
that they must attend an orientation meeting within one week, and offers a bus pass to attend the meeting,
if needed. They are also informed that, upon successful completion of the program, their charge will be
dismissed. During the orientation meeting, the District Attorney talks about the program, and the
individuals fill out individual screening documents (ACES and Conner Davis screening tools). The
individual then meets with a defense attorney and later with an alcohol and drug counselor, who
administers the TCU tool. Based on a total score gathered from the three assessments, the participant is
placed into one of two categories. Level I participants are deemed to be lower risk, and their case is
immediately dismissed. They are offered an appointment with a medical provider, but are not required to
accept or attend it. Level I participants are only eligible for program graduation if they do not incur any
further citations within a year. For Level II participants, individuals must attend a meeting with a
healthcare provider and follow their provider’s treatment advice while also not getting re-arrested. That
treatment plan will vary significantly based on the individual. After one year of compliance with their
medical provider and no new arrests, their case is dismissed. Failing to attend the orientation, failure to
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comply with treatment, or getting re-arrested results in revocation from the program, or placement from
Level I into Level II.
To address a lack of enrollment in the program (in part due to trust in the program and inconsistencies
with handing out program cards), participants are now given until their arraignment date to learn about
the program. The program administrators attempt to reach eligible participants from when the DA’s Office
received the police report until the Thursday prior to the individual’s arraignment date. The front office
staff at the DA’S office also hand out cards to eligible participants who visit the window upon not seeing
their name on the docket for court on the day of their arraignment. The administrators also work closely
with the health centers to enable schedules and locations which align with participant needs, to the best
extent possible. Finally, the program has been working to improve its tracking of participants and to align it
with the database used by prosecutors.
Evaluation Purpose
While the primary user of this evaluation is the Goldilocks collaborative team (listed below), the evaluation
will also be made available to the public and other jurisdictions, particularly within the MacArthur
Foundation's Safety and Justice Challenge network that are interested in implementing a pre-trail drug
diversion program:
• Mosaic Medical;
• La Pine Community Health Center;
• Bend Treatment Center
• Best Care
• Deschutes County Sherriff ’s Office (DCSO);
• Bend Police Department (PD)
• Redmond Police Department (PD);
• Sunriver Police Department (PD);
• Black Butte Ranch Police Department;
• District Attorneys and Defense Attorneys;
• Pfiefer & Associates; and
• Other criminal justice actors, police departments, medical providers, and government agencies
interested in potentially scaling, modifying, or replicating this intervention.
The evaluation is intended to primarily serve a learning purpose. In doing so, the evaluation will help the
DA and partners modify the implementation of the Clean Slate Initiative – whether that be through
modified targeting approaches, expanding access, changing implementation thresholds, or trying
something new entirely. Further, the evaluation is intended to enhance buy-in from partners and other
agencies and/or donor organizations through a demonstration of its commitment to evidence-based
decision-making. Research Questions
Page 4
Evaluation Questions
In order to meet the above purposes, this evaluation will prioritize the following five research questions,
categorized into two principal categories:
EFFECTIVENESS
1. To what extent is Clean Slate meeting its targets in terms of reduced recidivism rates and other
criminal justice outcomes?
• How, if at all, do participant demographic information, TCU/ACES scores, and/or criminal history
affect success rates?
2. To what extent, if any, is participation in Clean Slate associated with secondary medical benefits?
• These might include visits to emergency facilities, incidence of diabetes, preventative health care,
or other.
IMPLEMENTATION
3. What are the key barriers and enablers of participation in the program?
4. What do stakeholders believe is working well in the initiative to-date?
5. What obstacles to success remain?
Evaluation Design & Methods
The evaluation utilized a mixed-methods snapshot design for the evaluation, capturing views from law
enforcement and medical providers, program administrators, current and former participants, and eligible
participants who chose not to take part in the program. Due to the sensitive nature of the evaluation topics
(health and criminal justice outcomes) and the marginalization of the target population, the evaluator and
Clean Slate administrators submitted the evaluation design, consent forms, and protocols to an
Institutional Review Board (IRB) prior to roll-out, in order to ensure the appropriate respondent
protections were in place.
SAMPLING
Quantitative data used a census approach, capturing monitoring data for all Clean Slate participants and, as
relevant, eligible non-participants. Data for eligible individuals (participants and non-participants)
included information on arrest rates and demographics. For participants, quantitative data further
included scores for social determinants of health, completion rates, and additional demographic
information.
Qualitative data collection sampling was purposive in nature, a combination of convenience and snowball
sampling strategies. Despite an attempt to conduct simple random sampling for participants and eligible
individuals who chose not to participate, the lack of response rate necessitated attempting every eligible
Page 5
individual and interviewing those who responded affirmatively. The team used phone calls, emails, and
social media to reach non-participants. Due to a relatively small sample size, and the fact that this is subject
to heavy selection and response bias, the evaluation results are not a statistically representative sample for
this population, as was anticipated.
PROCESS
The evaluator conducted two trips for this evaluation. The first served as a scoping trip to better
understand the program, key stakeholders, and needs. The evaluator conducted a number of semi-
structured interviews to ascertain evaluation priorities, perceptions, and utilization needs; as well as to
probe as to initial perceptions of programmatic design and implementation. She also attended an
orientation session to conduct direct observation of the implementation process. The second trip was
conducted following IRB approval and included interviews and focus groups with approximately 35
individuals.
DOCUMENT REVIEW
The evaluator reviewed program records, application materials, available reports, and monitoring data.
This included working with Clean Slate administrators to pull data relating to a number of key variables of
interest. This includes the following data, though some data may be limited based on completeness of and
access to full databases:
TYPE OF DATA VARIABLES OF INTEREST
Demographic Information Age, location, type of controlled substance cited, housing situation, previous arrest record, employment status
Implementation Information % of participants in Level 1 vs Level 2, % of participants in each level successfully completing the program
Criminal Justice Information Absolute recidivism rates,
Medical Information Scores on social determinants of health pre/post data; intake scores (ACES, TCU, etc.); % no-shows for doctors’ appointments
KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS AND GROUP INTERVIEWS
Semi-structured key informant interviews were conducted with health care providers, law enforcement
officers, judges, defense attorneys, and Clean Slate implementers. These interviews focused on topics
related to evaluation questions on implementation, covering questions such as:
• What obstacles do you encounter in administering the program?
• What do you feel is working well within Clean Slate?
• To what extent, if any, do you believe the intervention is successful? Has the potential to be
successful?
• What recommendations or improvements do you have to improve the likelihood of success?
Page 6
INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS
Semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups (where possible) were conducted with Clean
Slate’s target population. This included participants and individuals who were eligible to participate but
chose not to. Focus groups were disaggregated by gender, where feasible. These discussions focused on
implementation-focused evaluation questions, and covered topics such as:
• What factors influenced your decision to participate in Clean Slate or not?
• What did you like about the program? What didn’t you like about it?
• How easy or difficult was it for you to comply with Clean Slate’s requirements? Why?
• How did you hear about Clean Slate?
• If you chose not to participate – is there something Clean Slate did not offer that you needed?
• If you did choose to participate - what was the biggest change that resulted from your engagement
with Clean Slate?
• What recommendations do you have to improve the effectiveness of the program?
LIMITATIONS
Given the lack of a statistically valid comparison group and the relatively small number of participants (‘n’)
thus far in Clean Slate, this evaluation will not attempt to draw statistical inferences regarding the causality
of variables and outcomes. As feasible, the evaluation will try to compare outcomes and demographic
variables of non-participants in order to identify correlations as a way to mitigate this. Due to the nature of
the population being studied (and therefore the risk of response bias and selection bias due to willingness
to participate), some answers – particularly those relating to the implementation side of the evaluation, are
not expected to be statistically representative of the broader population. To the extent possible, the
questions on effectiveness will have valid data from all participants and therefore be representative of the
participating population (and, to some extent, relevant comparable non-participant groups).
Questionnaires were structured in such a way as to reduce threats to validity resulting from response bias
through intentional sequencing, best practice consent and communication protocols, and follow-up to non-
responses. Analysis Plan
Findings and Conclusions
Of the 535 individuals in the database, at the time of the evaluation, approximately 42 percent were female
and 58 percent identified as male. The population was overwhelmingly white (91 percent), and ages
ranged from 18-71 years old, with an average age of 35. Approximately 67 percent of citations were for
methamphetamine, and 18 percent were for heroin. Forty-six percent of the citations given were from Bend
PD, with the Deschutes County Sheriff ’s Office giving 32 percent, and the Redmond PD giving 21 percent of
citations included in this evaluation.
Page 7
EFFECTIVENESS
Of the 535 total eligible individuals, 292 were rejected (meaning they didn’t show up to the initial
meetings, therefore becoming non-participants). One hundred and ninety-nine (199) were accepted into
Clean Slate, and another 25 were still eligible and pending continuation.
For Level I participants, seven of seventy-one potential applicants have been revoked (typically due to re-
arrest). That means, to-date, more than ninety percent of Clean Slate Level I applicants are successfully
enrolled or have graduated without additional law enforcement encounters. Of those participants who are
eligible for graduation (that is, who have had at least one year pass between enrollment and the date of the
evaluation), all twenty-one have graduated.
The Level II success rate is much lower, perhaps unsurprisingly due to increased risk, trauma, and severity
of cases in this population. Of the 128 potential Level II participants, only two have successfully graduated.
These two cases are likely not the full story, as both medical providers and Clean Slate administrators noted
delays and confusion around requirements to demonstrate compliance and successful treatment and
completion required for graduation. For example, of 40 who enrolled prior to May 1, 2017 (meaning they
are potentially eligible for graduation), 67% of them were revoked from the program. For another 11, final
status is unknown as the team is awaiting paperwork regarding substantial medical compliance. Given that
nearly half of all Level II participants have been revoked, it is unlikely that the graduation rate will
substantively improve over time. Although many of those revoked were for re-arrests, a a few were due to
missing initially-scheduled medical appointment. Of the 45 Level II participants listed as ‘in progress,’ it is
difficult to ascertain the extent to which they are en route to completion and successfully complying with
medical advice due to HIPAA regulations and a lack of understanding on the part of some medical providers
regarding the forms to fill out which document progress or lack thereof (see implementation barriers
below for more information on this point).
Outcomes: Qualitatively, for those individuals who are either currently enrolled or who have graduated,
the program has made a significant impact on their lives. Level I participants and graduates often noted
that this was their first arrest or that they were cited during a relapse after a long time of being sober or
clean and the program may have substantively changed their future by not having a record. In one case, the
Total Individuals
Rejected (i.e. non-participant)
Accepted into Clean Slate
Eligible for Clean Slate
Level 1
Revoked In progress Completed
Level 2
RevokedPending
treatment appointment
In progress Completed
Revoked (missing level)
Missing Data
535
292 199 25 17 2
71 128
7 43 63 18 45 21 2
Page 8
program allowed the participant to continue to receive benefits they otherwise would have been ineligible
for. Participants in Level II, though quantitatively fewer in number, noted much higher magnitudes of
change. One currently enrolled participant, who had been a drug user for more than 16 years, noted,
“This program saved my life: I would have been dead by now…. I reconnected with my family,
haven’t been arrested, gained weight, got healthier, and have less sick days at work. It’s a miracle –
my whole life has changed”.
Another noted that, due to Clean Slate, they have been able to go on field trips with their child and attain
housing in a complex close to family, both of which would not have been possible had they had charges on
their record. Anecdotally, health care providers also cite unintended consequences – particularly of
involvement with Level II of the program. Even for those who have been re-arrested, a number of them
have now established relationships with health care providers and have been diagnosed for other medical
conditions (including chronic illnesses such as diabetes and hepatitis). However, these health benefits are
not able to be tracked quantitatively due to aforementioned privacy reasons and therefore the evaluation
was unable to determine any correlations in outcomes related to these effects.
Stakeholders from all groups noted that ‘success’ of the program is dependent on how one defines success.
Health care providers tended to believe some of the success of the program was in its ability to connect
individuals with medical treatment. One noted that they “have patients that (they) have built relationships
with because of Clean Slate that will come see [them] for unrelated things”. Others note that longer periods
staying clean (for example, 6 months when they hadn’t been clean for 5 years) should be counted as
success. Law enforcement stakeholders tended to disagree. A few stated that just getting treatment is not
enough, and that they should have to be clean to be considered successful. For law enforcement,
respondents often defined success as: well defined: people getting clean and reducing recidivism rates.
Many felt it was particularly problematic when they saw individuals repeatedly, and still were not being
charged due to repeated attempts at entry into the Clean Slate program. (It should be noted that although
this was the perspective of respondents, the program only allows for Level I individuals to re-enter the
program once, as a Level II participant, before being permanently banned from re-entry. Level II individuals
do not receive a second chance to re-enter). That stated, health care providers and law enforcement
officers both noted that the individuals for whom this is most effective is a small group of individuals and
that, for those struggling with substance abuse, it is really about catching them at the right time.
With respect to community relationships, participants in the Clean Slate Program (Levels I and II) noted
more positive views of the law enforcement community. One Level II participant noted that, “the police
officer who arrested me actually checks up on me. He gives me hugs. That never would have happened
where I’m from. He’s a good guy – I’ve never known a cop before.” Similarly, an individual working in law
enforcement noted that the best thing about the program is that, “If we come across a person we haven’t
met yet, it helps develop a little bit of rapport. It gives a way to show them I’m empathetic.” Another
stakeholder noted that they felt the program creates community buy-in, showing that the District
Attorney’s office isn’t just about prosecution. Rather it shows that the office is “here to create community
safety and help the community. That’s a big bonus”. That said, a number of other stakeholders believed that
the other benefits, outside of recidivism rates to be outside of the scope of the DA’s Office and would best
be left to other stakeholders, which the DA’s office could coordinate with.
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With respect to general differences between graduates and non-graduates, the below table includes
descriptive statistics for the mean differences between these groups for a variety of variables.
Table 1: Differences in means between Graduates and Non-Graduates
Characteristic Non-Graduates
(N=87)
Graduates (N=23)
Difference1
Female 46% 52% -0.06 (0.1179)
White 93% 96% -.03 (0.0577)
Age 32.72 43.22 -10.50*** (2.524)
Internal Referral 46% 32% 0.15 (0.1187)
Level II 90% 9% 0.81*** (0.0718)
TCU Score 7.113 2.695 4.417*** (0.7537)
ACE Score 3.507 2.435 1.072** (0.6275)
CDRISC Score 27.592 29.522 1.930 (1.8602)
Total Score 9.237 3.654 5.583*** (1.0606)
Recidivism -3 years prior to 11/1/2017 1.080 0.6521 0.43 (0.3705)
Recidivism – 3 years prior to 3/17/2019 4.977 1.478 3.5*** (0.8398)
Primary charge – methamphetamine 60% 72% -0.12 (0.1262)
Primary charge - heroin 29% 6% 0.24** (0.1109)
Employed2 35% 57% -0.21* (0.1169)
Has transport3 79% 96% -0.17* (0.8945)
Has permanent housing4 28% 57% -0.28** (0.1112)
Standard errors are indicated in parenthesis *** p<0.01; ** p <0.05; * p<0.1
1 Difference is mean of non-graduates subtracted from mean of graduates 2 Employed refers to any full-time or part-time work 3 Having transport refers to having a vehicle or reporting use of public transportation 4 Refers to both owning or renting
Page 10
A look at these differences in means (averages) show that there are statistically significant differences between graduates and non-graduates. According to the means only (linear regression models below), individuals who have permanent housing, who are older, Level I, and who have transportation, a charge other than heroin, employment, and/or permanent housing are statistically more likely to graduate than those who do not fall into those categories. Similarly, those with lower TCU, ACE, and overall scores are more likely to graduate than their counterparts with higher scores. Those with the lowest standard errors (less than .01) are the differences between graduated and non-graduates with respect to TCU scores and age. Overall score is most likely correlated with the TCU difference.
One important point to note is that graduates, unsurprisingly due to the conditions of graduation, by their nature have lower recidivism rates that their non-graduate counterparts. The program as a whole, however, does not seem to have reduced recidivism rates of the eligible population as calculated by comparing a 3-year average prior to November 2017 with that of March 2019, even after accounting for one citation per eligible participant to incorporate them into the program. That stated, recidivism rates have increased much faster for non-participants and those who have failed out of the program than they have for participants in Clean Slate.
Predictors of Success: The evaluator also ran bivariate and multivariate linear regression models on these variables to determine correlations and statistically significant relationships in the data. There were no statistically significant relationships in regressions 1, 2, 5, 10, 14, and 18 (see Table 2), but other regressions did show interesting correlations.
The results of these regressions depict a number of interesting findings. For example, though qualitative interviews predicted that younger individuals would be more likely to graduate from Clean Slate, each additional year of age is associated with a 1.32 percentage point increase in the probability of graduating (see Table 2, Regression 3). This is a minor increase but does run counter to the perspectives of many in law enforcement and Clean Slate administrators. Similarly when comparing a 20-year old participant with a 40-year old participant, the 40-year old is more than 25% more likely to graduate than their younger counterpart. Males and females were equally likely to graduate or not from the program and, once they enrolled in the program, internal (DA's Office) and external (law enforcement or defense attorney) referrals into the program were equally likely to graduate from a statistical standpoint (Regressions 1 and 5 in Table 2).
On the other hand, prior arrests do indeed correlate with graduation rates, as stakeholders had predicted. Every additional citation is associated with a 2.8% percentage point decrease in the probability of graduating (Regression 13). Similarly, individuals charged with possession of heroin are associated with
Clean Slate Status Mean Recidivism,
Nov 2017 Mean Recidivism,
March 2019
Clean Slate Level 1 Accepted 0.38 1.65
Clean Slate Level 1 Successful Completion 0.67 1.52
Clean Slate Level 2 Accepted 0.72 1.90
Clean Slate Level 2 Successful Completion 0.50 1.00
Clean Slate Rejected 1.36 4.47
Clean Slate Revoked 1.03 4.93
Grand Total 1.17 3.88
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an 18 percentage point decrease in the probability of graduating from Clean Slate compared to individuals who received a primary charge related to other drugs (Regression 15). Qualitatively, stakeholders believed that this was in part due to the fact that Suboxone was used prevalently to treat heroin addiction but was often being abused or ineffective in treating the addiction itself.
Individuals with access to transportation are, somewhat unsurprisingly, associated with higher graduation rates – a 21.95 percentage point increase compared to those reporting a lack of access to transport (Regression 17). Individuals in La Pine are associated with a 52.87 percentage point increase in the probability of graduating from Clean Slate compared to Bend. The other cities do not have statistically significant relationships. The reasons for this are unknown, though it should be noted that the sample size for La Pine is smaller than those from other cities, containing only 11 percent of eligible individuals in the sample (less than 60 individuals). That stated, La Pine providers noted that they work with participants to provide transportation, which could combine for an improved outcome.
Each additional point on the TCU assessment is associated with a 6.15 percentage point decrease in the probability of graduating from Clean Slate (Regression 8), though this regression does not control for other factors and is not statistically significant. Of the 14 individuals with TCU scores below a 3 who were categorized as Level II participants, only 4 have been revoked (less than a third, which is significantly better than the average revocation rate for Level II participants). Similarly, every additional point of the Clean Slate total score is associated with a 4.14 percentage point decrease in the probability of graduating (likely associated with the previously noted TCU score), though this one does show a statistically significant relationship. Of the 17 individuals in Level II with a Clean Slate score of below a 6, seven of them (or 41%) have been revoked – again lower than the average percentage of revocations from Level II.
As individuals classified as Level II are associated with a 71.92 percentage point decrease in the probability of graduating through bivariate analysis (Regression 7), the evaluator ran multivariate regressions on these individuals (see regressions 19 and 20) to control for other possible mitigating factors and to better understand the extent to which this relationship was indeed highly correlated. Controlling for other factors (including referral type, age, recidivism rates), Level II participants are still 54% less likely to graduate. In both cases, being Level II indicates a very strong, statistically significant, negative relationship to graduation (in terms of p-values and co-efficient magnitude).
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Table 2. Linear Probability Model Regression Results - Clean Slate Graduates versus Clean Slate Non-graduates
Dependent Variables Regression (1)
Regression (2)
Regression (3)
Regression (4)
Regression (5)
Regression (6)
Regression (7)
Regression (8)
Regression (9)
Regression (10)
Female 0.0411 - - - - - - - - - White - 0.0707 - - - - - - - - Age - - 0.0132*** - - - - - - - City – Redmond1 - - - 0.0764 - - - - - - City – La Pine1 - - - 0.5287*** - - - - - - City – Other cities1 - - - -0.0546 - - - - - - Internal Referral - - - - -0.0969 - - - - - Law Enforcement – DCSO
- - - - - 0.1890* - - - -
Law Enforcement – Other
- - - - - 0.1795 - - - -
Law Enforcement – RPD
- - - - - -0.0538 - - - -
Level2 - - - - - - -0.7192*** - - - TCU - - - - - - - -0.0615*** - - ACE - - - - - - - - -0.0286* - CDRISC - - - - - - - - - 0.0059 Total Score - - - - - - - - - - Recidivism – three years prior to 3/17/18
- - - - - - - - - -
Recidivism – three years prior to 11/1/17
- - - - - - - - - -
Primary charge - methamphetamine
- - - - - - - - - -
Primary charge - heroin
- - - - - - - - - -
Employed3 - - - - - - - - - - Has transport4 - - - - - - - - - - Has permanent housing5
- - - - - - - - - -
Constant 0.1897 0.1429 -0.2501 0.1379 0.2459 0.1538 0.7500 0.6159 0.3378 0.0765 Number of Observations
110 110 110 110 108 110 93 94 94 94
R-squared 0.0025 0.0018 0.1380 0.1647 0.0142 0.0588 0.5848 0.2718 0.0308 0.0116
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Dependent Variables Regression (11)
Regression (12)
Regression (13)
Regression (14)
Regression (15)
Regression (16)
Regression (17)
Regression (18)
Regression (19)
Regression (20)
Female - - - - - - - - - 0.0552 White - - - - - - - - - -0.0666 Age - - - - - - - - - 0.0059 City – Redmond1 - - - - - - - - - 0.2002 City – La Pine1 - - - - - - - - - 0.4372*** City – Other cities1 - - - - - - - - - 0.0392 Internal Referral - - - - - - - - - -0.0759 Law Enforcement – DCSO
- - - - - - - - - -0.1675
Law Enforcement – Other
- - - - - - - - - -0.5150***
Law Enforcement – RPD
- - - - - - - - - -0.2090
Level2 - - - - - - - - -0.6889*** -0.5448*** TCU - - - - - - - - 0. 6184 0.2933 ACE - - - - - - - - 0.6325 0.2973 CDRISC - - - - - - - - -0.0358 -0.0189 Total Score -0.0414*** - - - - - - - -0.6243 -0.2893 Recidivism – three years prior to 3/17/19
- -0.0395*** - - - - - - - -0.0121
Recidivism – three years prior to 11/1/17
- - -0.0285* - - - - - 0.0100 0.0162
Primary charge - methamphetamine
- - - 0.0718 - - - - 0.0031 -0.0834
Primary charge - heroin
- - - - -0.1795*** - - - -0.0084 -0.0151
Employed3 - - - - - 0.1635* - - - -0.0303 Has transport4 - - - - - - 0.2195*** - - 0.0681 Has permanent housing5
- - - - - - - 0.2300 - 0.1086
Constant 0.5710 0.3771 0.2374 0.1282 0.2179 0.1786 0.0625 0.1639 0.8391 0.5261 Number of Observations
94 110 110 104 104 94 94 94 85 83
R-squared 0.2315 0.1385 0.0122 0.0084 0.0422 0.0348 0.0368 0.0652 0.5449 0.6504
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IMPLEMENTATION
Enrollment: Success once enrolled is dependent on a multitude of factors, as described above. However, the
program to-date has struggled with enrollment in the program itself. 292 of 535 eligible individuals
(approximately 55%) have not enrolled in the program at all, which is surprising to both Clean Slate
Administrators as well as to participants who were asked about this. As such, the evaluator also ran a series of
regressions to determine correlations between participants and non-participants. There was no statistically
significant relationship between age, gender, and race as predictors of enrollment, nor were there strong
associations for arresting law enforcement agency, city, or methamphetamine vs. heroin citations.
That stated, each additional arrest/citation prior to the program start is associated with a 3.68 percentage point
decrease in the probability of participating in Clean Slate. Most striking (Regression 7 in Table 3). Aligned with
Administrator experience, individuals being internally referred to the Clean Slate program (that is, by
administrators rather than by the Law Enforcement Agency) are associated with a statistically significant 20
percentage point decrease in the probability of participating in Clean Slate compared to those referred to the
program by law enforcement (Regression 5). Both correlations (citation records and internal vs. external
referrals) hold true when controlling for eight other variables via multivariate regressions (Regression 10).
This also aligns with eligible participant perspectives, who noted that they felt the program ‘sounded too good
to be true’ and only believed it to be credible when a police officer handed them a card. Coming from law
enforcement, they felt the program held additional sway and authority. The difficulty getting law enforcement
to hand out cards has been a huge source of frustration for stakeholders outside of law enforcement. As Clean
Slate administrators recognized that many individuals were not receiving a card during their citation, they have
allowed for additional opportunities for entry into the program. This has included allowing individuals who
visit the court house for their arraignment (date provided on their citation) one last opportunity to learn about
the program, in case they had not heard otherwise, and attend the orientation the very next Friday. While this
has worked to some extent, and lends the needed credibility to eligible individuals, it has also created some
tensions due to workloads and tracking.
Views from law enforcement officers varied regarding why they do or do not hand cards out. Even within the
same agencies, many openly noted they did not agree with the program or did not believe in handing out cards,
while others advocated strongly for their use. The single biggest reason cited for not giving the card is that they
don’t believe in the program or do not know whether it is effective. Nearly all law enforcement officers
complained that they have no insight as to whether or not the program is working, success rates, and whether
they should prioritize certain individuals. Rather, a few have given out cards and have seen the individuals
return, which has made them less likely to hand it out in the future. One noted, “They’re not being honest with
themselves about the program. There’s no need to make it look successful on the first shot, but be real with the
numbers. I would be more inclined if they [Clean Slate administrators and the DA’s office] had honest tracking.
It makes me less want to go out and do more because I don’t feel they [participants] are held accountable.”
Another reason cited by one agency in particular, was that Clean Slate has interfered with the officers’ ability to
‘flip’ an individual and have them become an informant. They stated that “If they know they’re eligible for Clean
Slate, there isn’t any incentive to flip. Some are hearing about [Clean Slate] in the community. If you try to talk to
them, they used to give you information off the bat. Now they say they want Clean Slate instead.” As such,
another noted they “intentionally don’t Clean Slate people that I want to sign as informants.” Officers from
multiple agencies also cited a lack of accountability for repeat offenders and a lack of knowledge regarding
participant status in the program.
Page 15
Table 3. Linear Probability Model Regression Results – Clean Slate Participants versus Clean Slate Non-Participants
Independent Variables
Regression (1)
Regression (2)
Regression (3)
Regression (4)
Regression (5)
Regression (6)
Regression (7)
Regression (8)
Regression (9)
Regression (10)
Female 0.0699 - - - - - - - - 0.0812*
White - -0.0141 - - - - - - - 0 .0348
Age - - -0.0012 - - - - - - 0.0005
City – Redmond1 - - - -0.0094 - - - - - -0.0555
City – La Pine1 - - - -0.0903 - - - - - -0.1579*
City – Other cities1 - - - -0.1093* - - - - - -0.1521**
Internal Referral - - - - -0.2001*** - - - - -0.1885***
Law Enforcement – DCSO2
- - - - - 0.0213 - - - 0.0925
Law Enforcement – Other2
- - - - - 0.1813 - - - 0 .1934
Law Enforcement – RPD2
- - - - - 0. 0216 - - - 0.0289
Recidivism – three years prior to Nov. 1, 2017
- - - - - - -0.0368*** - - -0.0282***
Primary charge – methamphetamine
- - - - - - - -0.0719 - -0.1320*
Primary charge – heroin
- - - - - - - - 0.0313 -0.0716
Constant 0.3767 0. 4186 0.4443 0.4351 0.5357 0.3901 0.4454 0.4430 0.3892 0.5891
Number of Observations
489 488 489 487 466 490 490 476 476 447
R-squared 0.0049 0.0001 0.0007 0.0088 0.0382 0.0022 0.0201 0.0048 0.0006 0.0786
*** p < 0.01, ** p < 0.05, * p < 0.1 Notes: 1 The reference category is Bend. 2 The reference category is BPD.
Page 16
As one put it, “Law enforcement is here to investigate and hold people accountable to mistakes. I see [Clean
Slate] as a way that we don’t fully hold PCS accountable as far as that individual goes. I don’t feel that our PCS
charges are being held as accountable as they should be – it’s a big issue in our region and we’re slowly starting
to turn a blind eye to it.” One noted an instance where they found an individual who immediately asked the
officer(s) to ‘Clean Slate her.’ The officer didn’t know whether the individual was in the program or failed out
without extensive work to determine the status.
What is working well: Stakeholders had a wide range of views regarding what works well within the Clean
Slate program – largely associated with their experiences with the program and views of the approach. For
participants (and the few non-participants who responded), they believe the model is a good one – which
allows for second chances and facilitates connections with treatment and healthcare providers. Level I and
Level II participants generally felt that the orientation meeting was particularly useful, and that they
appreciated the format (having the District Attorney speak, which they believed lent credibility to the program
and facilitated a personal connection), in addition to a defense attorney and health professional. Most felt that
the level of treatment or involvement was right for them, based on where they were at the time. Level I
participants also appreciated the lack of paperwork and to-do tasks, enabling them to continue with their work,
school, or lives with minimal disruption.
For Level II participants, they generally believed that the level of treatment was appropriate. Two participants
noted that they started with very regular (one to three times a week) meetings, which became less frequent
(monthly) as they improved. One stated,
“Clean Slate holds you really accountable. If you weren’t accountable having to do all of this, wouldn’t stay
clean. Getting clean is hard – when you don’t have to have a charge and are able to get your life back on
track, get the job you need, think about what you want to do in school, it makes all of the options available.
Clean Slate gives you an option to be what you want to be.”
Administrators, defense attorneys, and healthcare providers are particularly aware of the health-related
successes for these individuals. One stakeholder noted that “For those who enter and stay with the program,
there has been a real opportunity for them to get medical help. I have seen a number of them who said that they
hadn’t seen a doctor in years. It works well for those who enter and stay in the program.” Another noted that
participants are “for the most part, showing up for the initial appointment and assessing key needs. Some are
newly diagnosed diabetic and actually getting care for the first time.” As one stakeholder put it, “Offering this
engagement is huge in winning their trust and possible access to care that they otherwise wouldn’t have
themselves. By offering a carrot, the incentive, they don’t have a lot to lose…. Care coordination, seeing referrals,
and collaboration reduces barriers and challenges.” Another noted that “We’ve had some pretty good feedback
from a few of the different participants… Not a ton of those, but definitely a handful. That’s a start, a step in the
right direction.”
Many administrators and medical providers believe in the model, saying “From where I sit and what I see, I
think this is the right model… It’s better than the traditional way of looking at things for sure”. Another noted
that “we’re getting people who need primary medical care into primary medical care and we’re not getting
people in the criminal justice system that shouldn’t be there.” While another stated, “We are providing the
opportunity to meet with medical providers and there are people taking advantage of it – people who hadn’t
been in years.”
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On the implementation side, partners and administrators cite strong partnerships and internal coordination. As
one noted, “People were interested and wanted to help participate and set it up. It’s wonderful to see that
process.” Another noted that “We have a good relationship with almost all partners. That’s positive. They come
to me if they’re having any issues.” All partners but law enforcement tended to agree – noting the
responsiveness of administrators, willingness to adapt, and to figure things out together. The program has been
flexible with both partners and participants, and they have developed advocates in some of the agencies. La
Pine, for example, has been able to maintain a wait time of only 1-2 weeks due to both the lower number of
individuals participating but also by reserving a slot for Clean Slate participants and releasing it to others if it’s
not needed. The partnership with Oregon Health Plan was also cited as a key success, recognizing the lack of
insurance or care that many in the population struggled with. Stakeholders believed it was easy and efficient,
and less bureaucratic than some were worried it could have been. One respondent noted that “It’s a slow tide
that’s turning. We have great partners and team members, and our meetings have been consistent. Word is
getting out in the community that the initiative exists, which is a positive as well.”
Finally, a number of stakeholders also referenced the community aspect of the program – that Clean Slate shows
a “face of criminal justice that they’ve never seen before.” It can help create buy-in into the system, and
participants state that their families and communities see that and benefit from it as well.
Barriers to Success: Barriers to success typically fall within a couple of key categories: tracking and feedback;
lack of buy-in and support to the program; and implementation challenges.
Nearly all stakeholders noted the lack of buy-in as an inhibitor of success, which was particularly prevalent for
law enforcement agencies. As law enforcement officers themselves noted, they are often not handing out the
cards despite data showing that the program is more effective when they do so. This lack of buy-in to the
program is multi-faceted and mirrors the perspectives of other stakeholders. The reasons cited for this include:
• Perceptions that the program is politically motivated. A number of stakeholders believed the Clean
Slate program to be politically motivated. When probed as to why they felt it was a politically motivated
initiative, they cited the lack of accountability and number sharing on success rates, and the fact that
they felt it was directive with respect to who participates and how. Similarly, a few respondents said
that Clean Slate was supposed to roll out in conjunction with harsher sentences for dealers and others,
but that they have not seen that to be the case. Rather, the focus seems to have been on lowering or
dropping charges rather than also on enhancing prosecution on the other end of the spectrum.
• Beliefs that the model is ineffective. A number of individuals, particularly in law enforcement, did
not believe the model to be one that would work. This was based on their experience with similar
populations, seeing the same individuals arrested repeatedly, and experiences seeing jail time help
some individuals become sober. As noted previously, some also felt that the secondary health and
community benefits, while potentially useful, should not be within the purview of the District
Attorney’s office, and rather should be left to agencies or organizations with those mandates. Some
others noted that they did not believe doctors should be the ones determining whether or not
individuals stayed in the program – that they could note adherence to treatment, but that someone else
should make that decision to avoid a conflict of interest. (It should be noted that doctors provide
confirmation of compliance, not of graduation, which did not seem to be widely understood. When
clarified, stakeholders often desired more clarity on what compliance was – and noted that they would
Page 18
only consider compliance to be clean urine analyses as opposed to subjective treatment decisions). As
one put it “In general, it’s not well received among law enforcement. We’re not mad at it for being
touchy feely – we just want to see cases of success.”
The impacts of this are significant. When law enforcement is not bought in, and therefore do not hand
out the Clean Slate card, eligible individuals are significantly less likely to participate in Clean Slate, as
noted above. Similarly, when they are not handed a card and find out about the program later, the
process becomes delayed and burdensome to a variety of stakeholders along the chain (postponing
court dates, etc.). This leads to a vicious cycle of lack of buy-in, as stakeholder then feel the process is
inefficient or burdensome. Thus, the lack of buy-in from law enforcement in particular, is seen by many
as a key barrier to success.
• Feeling that the program is a burden to their already heavy workload. For some law enforcement
officers, adding to their workload by asking officers to give Clean Slate cards, bus tickets, and make
note of the program in their records seemed an undue burden. For others, they said this was not an
issue. Still others cited having to track and re-arrest the same individuals numerous times because they
had been given additional chances by Clean Slate5; or informants decided not to provide information
because they would prefer the Clean Slate program. For other stakeholders, there has been additional
burden to track and/or reschedule participants and cases due to their involvement in the program, and
due to delays in learning about and participating in the program, as noted above.
• Lack of data on success rates and feedback. Perhaps the single largest source of frustration is the
sense that stakeholders do not know how successful the program is or is not. They do not feel they
have easy access to understanding who is enrolled in the program, who has failed out, and who has
graduated. The lack of understanding regarding the extent to which there are successes or not has
frustrated many stakeholders, contributing to a lack of enthusiasm for the initiative. As one noted, “A lot
of people don’t trust it because there’s no communication about numbers.” The lack of feedback has
also led to difficulties in tracking cases throughout the different systems – allowing some cases to go
unprosecuted after lingering in limbo during a database management systems transition. As one
stakeholder put it, “The problem is that when we don’t follow through when they fail out, then word
gets out that it doesn’t matter when you fail out. Under a conditional discharge at least we can monitor
them. With Clean Slate, we just don’t know what’s happening.” There are some logistical implications to
this as well, including for district attorneys and law enforcement. For example, typically the agencies
attempt to charge within six months. If a Clean Slate participant fails out after nine months, that means
they need to hold onto evidence, track and prosecute nearly a year later – all of which do have costs.
Finally, a few stakeholders noted that they would be interested in understanding what the cost of the
Clean Slate program is – that they might be more willing to support it if they understood both where
the money was coming from and how much it cost.
5 Again, it should be noted that the program only allows for re-entry into the program once, for Level I participants who can re-enter as Level II participants. Many used this statement to refer to individuals with a long record of engagement with law enforcement prior to the start of the Clean Slate program; or who misunderstood or perceived re-entry to be more common than it is.
Page 19
Beyond stakeholder buy-in and ownership, the other category of obstacles were related to programmatic
implementation. Many stakeholder groups agree on programmatic challenges, which vary in nature from
smaller, easy-to-remedy items to larger issues.
At the intake stage, a few stakeholders did not fully agree with the methods used to determine entry into the
program; and categorization into Level I or Level II. For example, some law enforcement officers and district
attorneys noted that there are “individuals in Clean Slate who have no business being in the program,” and that
they would like the ability for staff to recommend individuals for participation or not based on their knowledge
of the individual, their criminal history, and where they seem to be in their personal journey upon citation. With
respect to categorization into Level I vs. Level II, while the three assessment tools are all evidence-based, the
cut-off point is not. An individual may rate highly on the ACES assessment due to no fault of their own and
therefore automatically be placed into Level II, even if the SUDS counselor or other stakeholders do not believe
that is the appropriate level of risk for that individual. There is little ability to use the professional and trained
judgement of the counselor in determination, which forces more reliance on self-reported scores than would be
ideal.
One key barrier exists in getting individuals engaged early on after their citation. Some noted that waiting six
days for an orientation (depending on their citation date) can be too late. Similarly, while the medical providers
had hoped to get appointments for individuals within a couple of weeks, but that is often not possible, and the
wait time can lead to drop outs. As one stakeholder noted, “When we first started, the goal was to get medical
appointments within a week. Then it became ten days, then seventeen, and the number seems to continue to
creep up.” Together, they note that “our original plan was to come within a week of the citation. Now we’ve
allowed that to go out a month, and then when they show up it can be another three weeks to get a medical
appointment. And some keep rescheduling.”
Further, a few health care providers noted that the integration with behavioral health is lacking somewhat, as
they feel nearly all Clean Slate participants should have access to behavioral health treatment almost
immediately. Some also noted that direct drug and alcohol treatment referrals were no longer happening, and
that this created roadblocks and bottleneck. A number of stakeholders across all categories also cite a lack of
coordination with housing and other agencies, as many initiatives are dealing with the same population and
recognize the linkages between these issues. As one noted, “Getting them a step in the direction is good, but a
doctor doesn’t make up for the lack of a job, a hot meal, and a house.”
On the substantial compliance side, doctors are often uncomfortable with determining whether or not a
participant is successful in the program. They are often delayed in sending the paperwork after one year, in part
due to a lack of understanding regarding how to define success or their comfort level in determining that. One
noted that “they may be compliant with us medically but not compliant with what the program is trying to
achieve. We haven’t gotten clarification if we have to do drug screens. We don’t want to break their trust with
us.” Another noted that “this makes me uncomfortable as a primary care physician. It’s unlikely but conceivable
that someone could be at an inpatient rehab facility… Because they haven’t followed up with us doesn’t mean
they aren’t getting care.” Law enforcement officials also do not understand what this means and are hesitant to
trust success if it does not include sobriety.
For Level I participants, they noted that they felt the program was in some ways ‘too easy’, and would have liked
a check-in after 3 or 6 months; and another upon completion to show them someone was paying attention and
that the program was real. Level II participants (as well as administrators and health care providers) also felt
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that the lack of resources contributed to a lack of adequate case follow-up and personal contact with a Clean
Slate individual they could trust. These stakeholders noted addiction, accessibility, mental illness, and workload
pressures as contributing to missed appointments or forgetting to comply with certain requirements.
Other logistical challenges include finding and maintaining accurate contact information for eligible
participants, having access to resources to pay for medical tests if individuals do not qualify for the Oregon
Health Plan insurance, and access to transportation. The bus passes are widely believed to be an ineffective use
of resources, as law enforcement admits to not handing them out to Clean Slate participants or, at times, using
them for other purposes.
Recommendations
The evaluation recommends a series of modifications to the program to enhance buy-in, participation, and
effectiveness. It should be noted, however, that these recommendations stem from data collected through the
course of this evaluation. As many non-participants declined to respond, there may be additional changes
needed to enhance their participation in the program. Similarly, these recommendations are for consideration
and have implications (some positive, some negative) and, as such, should be considered by a broad group of
stakeholders prior to implementing.
Considering the data collected to date, the model shows promise, but given continued changes to
implementation and the small sample of eligible graduates, more time is needed to show whether or not the
program is truly effective on a broader scale. As such, the evaluator recommends continuing the program
while implementing the following changes to increase its chances of success:
Provide more regular tracking and feedback to partners regarding programmatic and
participant success rates, and/or the lack thereof. This could include quarterly reports to all
partners with quantitative data regarding enrollment, graduation, and recidivism rates, as well as
success stories and other qualitative data from graduates and partners. To the extent feasible, this
could also include an easily accessible database or list of names regarding participant status. As Clean
Slate administrators enhance their monitoring, tracking, and database integration processes, this
should become more feasible to implement and readily available. Rather than waiting for requests
regarding status, proactively providing information, particularly to law enforcement agencies, is likely
to positively affect buy-in. Similarly, participants would appreciate more proactive communication
advising them of their graduation from the program. For example, this could be automated within the
system as well. Finally, administrators should consider revising the tracking categories. Currently, for
example, the ‘rejected category can mean they never participated in the program, or that the individual
failed out of the Level I. This can lead to confusion during analysis and complications in understanding
the true impact of the program.
Work with stakeholders to determine better process flow for cases and prosecution. Given
difficulties maintaining records and following up on prosecution for those who have failed out of Clean
Slate, changes to the process are necessary to ensure that the Clean Slate program is implemented as
Page 21
envisioned, and that word does not spread in the community that enrollment (not graduation) is
enough to erase charges. Consider whether aspects of the conditional discharge model would help with
workflow and processing6. Similarly, ensure the other aspects of the Goldilocks initiative are enforced
(those associated with deterrence and harsher penalties) to improve buy-in from law enforcement.
Consider expanding Level I participation. Given the success of Level I participation, it may be worth
expanding Level I participation to other individuals. This may include individuals with TCU scores
below a 2 or 3, for example, or could be at the recommendation of the law enforcement officer, district
attorneys, or SUDS counselor. Incorporating recommendations from these other professionals may also
help to promote buy-in and ownership of the program, although lends itself to subjectivity.
As resources allow, incorporate more case management. This case management should include
checks on Level I participants, as well as reminders and follow up with Level II participants. It may also
include coordination with other agencies on existing resources, coordination regarding transportation,
and outreach to potential applicants. Further, as feasible, this individual could help facilitate record
sharing between behavior health, treatment centers, and the medical providers.
Reconsider eligibility requirements. As those who have been arrested numerous times are less likely
to succeed, are costly in terms of outreach, and diminish stakeholder perspectives of programmatic
success, Clean Slate might consider only allowing individuals with few law enforcement encounters to
be eligible for participation in the program.
Modify the substantial compliance and graduation process for Level II. This might include very
brief quarterly checks to catch individuals who are no longer participating in the program, and to
prosecute accordingly. Similarly, Clean Slate administrators might be responsible for determining
successful graduation from the program rather than the primary care physician. As such, the
substantial compliance form could be more aligned with the treatment and scope of the medical
provider, and the team could work directly with doctors to ensure a common understanding of how the
form should and should not be used.
Dig deeper into La Pine successes. Given that La Pine has had more success than other cities,
administrators should work with La Pine partners to see whether there are any differences with
respect to how they understand and implement Clean Slate; and whether it is feasible for those
successes and processes to be replicated with others.
Continue to build buy-in with law enforcement agencies. The program will not be successful
without increased buy-in from law enforcement. Some of this can be built using the recommendations
above, but more work has to be done by leadership in these agencies to communicate and support the
program - not solely as a top-down or DA-driven directive, but to demonstrate commitment and belief
6 This model was referred to by a number of stakeholders as one which makes case processing easier and more streamlined. The evaluator is not a sector expert and therefore does not know the intricacies of the model, but a few individuals noted that this ensures rapid processing of charges when a participant fails out of the program and avoids some of the back-and-forth that the Clean Slate program has had to deal with.
Page 22
in the model. This could be done by having police officers with positive experiences with the program
present to their colleagues, or to hold one-on-one discussions with officers who are not handing out the
cards to fix misunderstandings about how the program works and its intended processes and
purposes. Those individuals from each agency who were involved in signing MOUs and designing the
program could also lead updates and discussions around the program (rather than Clean Slate
administrators doing so) to further explain the motives for involvement and demonstrate commitment
and buy-in to the Clean Slate approach.