THIS THREE COUNTY CORRECTIONS EFFORT WAS ESTABLISHED AS A RESULT OF THE MINNESOTA COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS ACT OF 1973, WHICH ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONS BY PLACING THE RESPONSIBILITY OF REHABILITATING OFFENDERS SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS OR LESS ON COUNTY GOVERNMENTS. THE STATE OPERATES AS THE PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE FOR THOSE COUNTIES THAT ENTER A COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS AGREEMENT AND SUBMIT AN APPROVED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. SINCE 1974, THE THREE COUNTIES HAVE ESTABLISHED A CORRECTIONS DEPARTMENT AND ALLIED SERVICES WHICH INCLUDE A LEARNING DISABILITIES PROGRAM, COURT SERVICES AND JAIL PROGRAMS, A VOLUNTEER PROGRAM, AND OTHERS. THE EVALUATION WAS CONDUCTED IN 1978 AND WAS BASED ON A REVIEW OF THE EXEMPLARY PROJECT SUBMISSION MATERIALS, COMPREHENSIVE PLANS FOR 1977 AND 1978, OTHER PROJECT DOCUMENTS, AND INTERVIEWS. INDIVIDUAL SECTIONS FOCUS ON BACKGROUND INFORMATION, EVALUATION CRITERIA, AND STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. AMONG THE DISCOVERED STRENGTHS WAS THE FINDING THAT THE COMMUNITY MAINTAINS FULL CONTROL OVER THE ENTIRE PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, THE PROGRAM HAS ESTABLISHED GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS COUNTY GOVERNMENT LINES AND HAS RESULTED IN EFFICIENT OPERATIONS AND SAVINGS IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND INVESTMENTS. THE PROGRAM'S ADVISORY BOARD HAS MAINTAINED A HIGH DEGREE OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND PROVIDED GUIDANCE THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND AN ONGOING MONITORING SYSTEM. AMONG THE PROGRAM WEAKNESSES IS THE LACK OF RELIABLE MANAGEMENT AND PROGRAM DATA -- A DEFICIENCY WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE ELIMINATED WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF A NEW COMPUTERIZED MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. APPENDIXES CONTAIN RECOMMENDATIONS, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND YEAR-END REPORT FOR 1977, AND INFORMATION ON THE COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS ACT. DATA TABLES ARE INCLUDED.