NCJ Number
74954
Date Published
1979
Length
65 pages
Annotation
Preliminary steps taken to implement the Targeted Jobs Tax Credit (TJTC) program for employers hiring eligible ex-convicts and ex-felons are reviewed, and guidelines for an impact evaluation of the program are developed.
Abstract
Data are from interviews with employer representatives, Department of Labor staff responsible for the implementation of the TJTC, State employment service staff, offender employment assistance program staff, as well as a limited literature review. The process evaluation noted that (1) the Department of Labor implementation effort has been limited to local responsibilities in the certification process, while neglecting program features (e.g., staff training, coordination whith other offender employment assistance efforts, etc.); (2) several States have developed expertise in TJTC implementation that might be shared with other States; and (3) problems exist in the signing of eligibility determination subagreements between the employment service agencies, the Comprehensive Employment Training Act prime sponsors, and State and Federal correctional agencies. The impact evaluation guidelines recommend use of a time series study as a preliminary evaluation procedure, but note the problem of developing a comparative basis for judging the significance of statistical measures of ex-felon employment and unemployment. For long-term impact evaluation, the use of either the experimental evaluation technique of a casual model of change or the use of econometric models of employment looking toward significant demographic and environmental variables affecting ex-felon employment is proposed. Footnotes are provided. (Author abstract modified)