NCJ Number
48556
Journal
OFFENDER REHABILITATION Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (SPRING 1978) Pages: 215-224K
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
IN AN EXPLORATORY STUDY DESIGNED TO DEVELOP CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF WORK-RELEASE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR FEMALE PAROLEES, PAROLEES, PAROLE OFFICERS, AND EMPLOYERS WERE ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES.
Abstract
THREE SEPARATE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE DEVELOPED AND MAILED TO THE THREE SUBJECT GROUPS. THE PARTICIPATING PAROLEES WERE WOMEN WHO HAD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A WORK-TRAINING RELEASE PROGRAM. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRES WERE OBTAINED FROM 7 PAROLEES, 32 PAROLE OFFICERS, AND 10 EMPLOYERS. THE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PAROLE OFFICERS REQUESTED DATA ON RECIDIVISM, PAROLE INFRACTIONS, SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT, AND PERCEIVED EMPLOYER SATISFACTION WITH PAROLEE JOB PERFORMANCE. OF 31 PAROLEES, 3 HAD BEEN REARRESTED, ALTHOUGH ONLY ONE HAD BEEN REIMPRISONED. MINOR INFRACTIONS/SUSPECTED INFRACTIONS WERE NOTED FOR SEVERAL OF THE WOMEN. TEN OF THE WOMEN WERE WORKING AT THE TIME OF THE STUDY. RATINGS FOR 5 OF THESE INDICATED THAT ALL WERE RATED BETWEEN 5 AND 6 ON A 7-POINT SCALE WHERE 7 WAS CONSIDERED VERY GOOD WORK PERFORMANCE. FOR 11 OF 21 WOMEN FOR WHOM SUCH INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE, SOCIAL CONTACTS WERE PERCEIVED AS BEING SOLELY OR ALMOST SOLELY WITH LAW-ABIDING CITIZENS. SUPERVISOR INFORMATION FOR 15 OF 22 WOMEN WHO HAD INDICATED THAT THEY PLANNED TO CONTINUE THEIR EMPLOYMENT WITH THE SAME ORGANIZATION FOLLOWING RELEASE, INDICATED THAT ONLY 3 OF THESE 15 HAD IN FACT CONTINUED WITH THE SAME ORGANIZATION AFTER RELEASE. IN GENERAL, SUPERVISOR RATINGS OF PAROLEES' WORK PERFORMANCE WERE MODERATELY POSITIVE; IT WAS FELT THAT ALL TRAINEES AND THE THREE CONTINUING EMPLOYEES WERE WORKING TO LESS THAN FULL CAPACITY. RATINGS OF PAROLEES' QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WORK AND COOPERATION WITH COWORKERS AND COMPANY POLICIES WERE ALSO MODERATELY POSITIVE. REPLIES FROM PAROLEES WERE INSUFFICIENT FOR DRAWING DETAILED CONCLUSIONS. IN GENERAL, THE SEVEN WOMEN WHO REPLIED LIKED THE IDEA OF WORKING OUTSIDE THE INSTITUTION AND WERE GENERALLY FAVORABLE TOWARD THE PROGRAM. BECAUSE OF THE LIMITED RESPONSE IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO COMPARE MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES TOWARD THE PROGRAM AS ORIGINALLY INTENDED. MOREOVER, MANY PAROLE OFFICERS INDICATED THEY HAD INSUFFICIENT DATA TO ADEQUATELY ANSWER MANY OF THE QUESTIONS. IN CONSEQUENCE, THE GENERALLY POSITIVE ATTITUDES TOWARD THE PROGRAM MUST BE INTERPRETED WITH CAUTION. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (JAP)