Impact
Piloting Cost-Effective Methods for Data Collection with Incarcerated Populations
Objective
To develop and validate new, efficient, cost-effective methods to survey incarcerated individuals without sacrificing data quality or increasing facility burden.
Approach
RTI tested two approaches to supplement or replace traditional in-person interviews: remote interviewing and self-administered tablet-based surveys.
For one project funded by the United States Department of Justice, researchers randomized sample members to participate in interviews remotely or in-person to evaluate differences in participation rates and data quality. Separately, using internal RTI funding, researchers leveraged existing prison technology infrastructure to deploy short, secure surveys directly to incarcerated individuals via tablets.
Impact
Both pilot tests yielded promising results. Remote interviewing reduced logistical burden and travel costs while maintaining strong data quality. Tablet-based surveys delivered major efficiency gains by reducing launch costs from tens of thousands of dollars to thousands of dollars, while also enabling the collection of representative, high-quality data with high respondent satisfaction.
These innovations offer scalable approaches for future data collection by reducing costs and streamlining operations for future correctional research, ultimately leading to more efficient and satisfactory data collection outcomes.
Improving Survey Data Collection in Correctional Research
Since 1976, the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has conducted the Survey of Prison Inmates, using resource-intensive, in-person interviews. Due to increasing costs and logistical challenges, such as facility burden and scheduling, BJS contracted RTI to identify a more efficient approach. RTI responded by piloting remote interviewing, linking interviewers to potential participants in secure facility areas via teleconferencing technology (e.g., Zoom).
Testing Tablet-Based Surveys for Greater Data Collection Efficiency
RTI identified other opportunities for innovation. With funding from the RTI Fellows Program—a small, selective program of senior scientists leading high-impact research—we explored the use of tablets already available to many incarcerated individuals for education, legal communication, and entertainment.
The team deployed short, secure surveys to incarcerated people through these devices. This approach eliminated the need for in-person teams, significantly reduced launch costs compared with traditional data collection visits, and rapidly captured high-quality data from thousands of respondents.
Ensuring Survey Data Quality in Correctional Settings
A key concern for any new data collection method is ensuring high-quality, representative data. These pilot tests suggest that correctional research can be more agile and cost-effective. By exploring remote and tablet-based methods, RTI has identified approaches that seemingly reduce facility burden while maintaining data quality. These innovations help clients do more with less and offer new options for insights from hard-to-reach populations.
