Evaluation of Lubbock County Detention Center's "Step Up" Program

This proposal outlines a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluation of the “Step Up” program administered to high-security individuals at the Lubbock County Detention Center (LCDC) in Texas. Using a combination of several types of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Step Up works with individuals through a curriculum that aims to reduce acts of violence and make substantive changes to a person’s behavior. In partnership with LCDC, this project will investigate the impact of this programming on violent and antisocial behavior while housed within the detention center. While the data is structured such that we can consider post-release outcomes such as recidivism and labor force participation, a large fraction of RCT participants will be heading to prison after the detention center that we believe we are underpowered to detect these outcomes. The project will also include analysis of audio recordings of Step Up group sessions, with the goal of identifying the most effective components of the intervention. The study, which launched February 2022, will run for two years, enrolling 600 people in the trial, half of whom will be treated by Step Up.