Effect of Prison Employment and Vocational/Apprenticeship Training on Long-Term Recidivism

• NCJ Number: 161092
• Journal: Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1996 Pages: 12-14
• Author(s): W. G. Saylor; G. G. Gaes
• Date Published: January 1996
• Length: 3 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

The Post-Release Employment Project in Canada evaluated the impact of prison work experience and vocational training on offender behavior after release into the community; data were collected on more than 7,000 offenders between 1983 and 1987.

Abstract

Inmates were selected for the project if they had worked in prison industries or had received vocational training while incarcerated. Of inmates selected, 57 percent worked exclusively in prison industries, 24 percent received vocational or apprenticeship training, and 19 percent had a combination of work experience and vocational training. Project results indicated that inmates who participated in work, vocational training, or apprenticeship programs were less likely than a comparison group of inmates to receive a misconduct report during their last year of incarceration. When project participants did receive a misconduct report, it was less likely to be for serious misconduct. Project participants were also rated as more responsible than comparison group inmates and were 24 percent more likely to obtain a full-time or a day labor job. Offender postrelease outcome data collected over a 1-year period revealed that 10.1 percent of comparison group inmates had been rearrested or had their conditional release revoked, compared to 6.6 percent of project participants. Further, 72 percent of project participants found and maintained employment during the period, compared to 63 percent of comparison group inmates. The average working project participant earned more per month ($821) than the average working comparison group inmate ($769). Only about 20 percent of female offenders were returned to custody, compared to 31.6 percent of male offenders. On average, men and women were returned to custody after 811 and 647 days, respectively. The male prison industry subgroup had 20 percent longer survival times than the comparison inmate group when recidivism was defined as a new offense. The training program subgroup had 28 percent longer survival times than the comparison inmate group. 2 footnotes