This paper discusses the authors’ estimation of the cost of implementing preparation activities for two prisons to implement virtual reality job interview training, for the sake of increasing employment rates among returning citizens.
Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT) has increased employment rates for returning citizens when added to a successful prison-based employment readiness program. However, implementation preparation cost, i.e., expenses prior to offering VR-JIT to intended recipients, is unknown. The authors estimated the cost of implementation preparation activities (e.g., organizing workflow) for two prisons to deliver VR-JIT. They conducted a budget impact analysis and enumerated the labor costs incurred during this important stage of implementation. Labor costs were approximately $8,847 per prison. The authors’ sensitivity analysis estimated the labor costs to replicate this effort in a new prison to range from $2,877 to $4,306 per prison. Thus, VR-JIT may be an affordable tool for prison-based employment readiness programs to improve gainful employment. Publisher Abstract Provided