What is the difference between GIPA, GRPPA and SAGE?

Over the last two decades, NIC has collaborated with national experts to create a series of comprehensive assessments to explore how closely agency-wide policies and practices align with evidence-based research that supports improved outcomes for women and individuals who identify as gender diverse. A brief description of each instrument is provided below:

Gender-Informed Practices Assessment (GIPA): The GIPA was developed over three years by the National Institute of Corrections - U.S. Department of Justice, the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP), and an advisory team of experts.[1]

This assessment was designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of women’s correctional facilities (prisons, jails, and detention facilities across 12 domains: Leadership, External Support, Facility, Management and Operations, Staffing and Training, Culture, Discipline, Classification and Assessment, Case and Transitional Planning, Research-Based Programming, Services, Quality Assurance and Evaluation

The GIPA assessment is conducted over 4-5 days by external evaluators who are experts in operations and programs. The process begins with a series of meetings with facility and department leaders. These meetings are designed to: 1) provide foundational information on the research and evidence regarding justice-involved women and the gender-responsive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based approaches that yield improved outcomes among women, their families, and communities, and 2) prepare the department and facility for data collection activities which include observing operations and programs, reviewing reports, policies, program and related materials; interviewing staff and stakeholders; and conducting staff, resident and stakeholder focus groups and surveys. Upon completion of the GIPA assessment process, the evaluation team scores the GIPA and summarizes strengths, challenges and opportunities across all 12 domains. The major opportunities are prioritized and used to help agencies develop a strategic plan.

Agencies that have implemented the GIPA, have reported a number of outcomes including –the effective application of gender-responsive principles, assessments and programs, improved safety and welfare of women and staff, and the targeting of critical factors that reduce institutional misconduct, revocation, and reoffending. 

Gender-Responsive Policy and Practice Assessment (GRPPA). The GRPPA was developed by NIC, the Center for Gender and Justice, and a team of experts[2] to provide an alternative assessment process for agencies interested in conducting an internal review of jail and facility-wide policies and practices.[3]  Rather than an external team used to conduct the GIPA,  agencies identify an internal work group and are provided with guided instruction to review gender-responsive policies and practices. The GRPAA assesses the alignment with the available research across five domains: 1) Environment; 2) Staffing; 3) Assessment, Classification, and Case Management; 4) Services and Programs; and 5) Quality Assurance and Evaluation.  It is intended as the first step in a more substantial process to understand the current facility, program policies, and practices so that reforms and/or enhancements can be planned. Templates for action plans are provided to help agencies move toward improving or changing current practices toward those that are more gender-responsive. Agencies that are interested in completing the GRPPA can download the assessment process and protocol on-line by accessing the following website: Gender-Responsive Policy & Practice (GRPPA) | National Institute of Corrections (nicic.gov).

Supervision Agencies Gender-Responsive Evaluation - SAGE (formerly known as the Gender Responsive Policies and Practices Assessment- Community Version GRPPA-CV) was developed in 2021 by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in collaboration with the Center for Effective Public Policy (CEPP) to enhance outcomes with women and gender diverse populations under supervision in the community. Drawing on methods and strategies developed for the GIPA and GRPPA, SAGE represents a compilation of the research on evidence-based and gender-responsive practices and the best thinking of practitioners focused on community corrections. 

Supervision agencies are invited to respond to a solicitation from NIC. If accepted they are provided with virtual training, coaching, and technical assistance to complete the assessment process.  This includes developing an internal work group, conducting a multi-method and comprehensive assessment, scoring items across 6 domains including Leadership and Culture, Staff Training and Retention, Assessment and Case Planning, Treatment and Services, Supervision Approaches, and Quality Assurance and, developing an action plan.

The SAGE process includes four phases. During Phase 1, CEPP works with the agency to identify experts in evidence-based practices and champions for gender-responsive and trauma-informed practices.  This team participates in a series of virtual training sessions to become familiar with gender-responsive and trauma-informed practice principles, how to use the various assessment methods, how to score SAGE, and how to summarize the results. During Phase 2, CEPP works with the team to develop an implementation plan with a complete schedule of activities and to identify who, when, and how staff women and other clients will participate in the assessment. In Phase 3, the data is collected and summarized to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities across the six domains within the assessment. Finally, during Phase 4, the team meets with CEPP to identify priority targets, complete a strategic plan, and prepare to report their results to leadership and agency staff.  They are also encouraged to identify action steps that can be achieved within the next 12 months with technical assistance from CEPP and NIC.

Like the GIPA and GRPPA, the information gathered during the assessment process is summarized across six domains and used to guide the development of a strategic plan.