COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE MONROE COUNTY (NY) PILOT PROGRAM FOR VOCATIONAL UPGRADING OF PROBATIONERS

• NCJ Number: 11373
• Author(s): V R CHITREN; R J REYNOLDS
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 80 pages
• Grant Number(s): 72-NI-02-0001
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: University of Rochester
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: ROCHESTER-MONROE COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE PILOT CITY PROGRAM

Annotation

THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO REDUCE RECIDIVISM THROUGH A COMBINATION OF ACADEMIC UPGRADING, VOCATIONAL ASSESSMENT, JOB PLACEMENT, AND JOB COACHING.

Abstract

THE PROGRAM IS EVALUATED BY COMPARING NET COSTS AND BENEFITS OF AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP OF 202 PROBATIONERS WHO WERE REFERRED TO THE PROGRAM DURING THE PERIOD DECEMBER, 1970 TO NOVEMBER, 1971, AND A CONTROL GROUP OF 42 PROBATIONERS WHO DID NOT PARTICIAPTE IN THE PROGRAM DURING THE SAME PERIOD. DATA WERE COLLECTED FOR A TWENTY-FIVE MONTH PERIOD FROM DECEMBER, 1970 TO DECEMBER, 1972. AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROJECT REVEALED THAT RECIDIVISM IS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BY INCREASED WAGES AND THAT THE BENEFITS ACCRUING FROM THE PROGRAM EQUAL THE COSTS WITHIN THREE YEARS. BEYOND THREE YEARS THE BENEFITS EXCEED THE COSTS. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT THE SKILLS OF JOB SEEKING AND JOB RETENTION THAT WERE TAUGHT APPEAR TO HAVE A LASTING EFFECT AND PROBATIONERS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE PROGRAM SEEM TO EARN MORE AND RECIDIVATE LESS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)