LONGITUDINAL FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION OF THE POSTRELEASE BEHAVIOR OF PAROLED OR RELEASED OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 10698
• Author(s): W O JENKINS; M C BARTON
• Date Published: 1973
• Length: 70 pages
• Grant Number(s): 82-01-69-06 (LABOR)
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Labor
• Corporate Author: Rehabilitation Research Foundation
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A THREE-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF 106 OFFENDERS GIVEN INSTITUTIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND 67 APPLICANTS NOT GIVEN SUCH TRAINING.

Abstract

THE EXPERIMENTAL MANPOWER LABORATORY FOR CORRECTIONS CONDUCTED A FOLLOW-UP STUDY ON MEN RELEASED OR PAROLED FROM DRAPER CORRECTIONAL CENTER IN ELMORE, ALABAMA. THE PURPOSE WAS TO DEVELOP A METHODOLOGY FOR DATA COLLECTION, TO ESTABLISH THE BEHAVIORAL DEMOGRAPHY OF THE RELEASED OR PAROLED OFFENDER, TO PROVIDE AN EVALUATION AND VALIDATION YARDSTICK FOR INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY TREATMENT PROGRAMS AND TO FURNISH A BASIS FOR DEVELOPMENT AND REFINEMENT OF INTERVENTION, AND TO DEVELOP SPECIFIC MEASURES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF LAW-VIOLATING BEHAVIOR AND THE PREDICTION OF RECIDIVISM. A PRERELEASE INTERVIEW WAS FOLLOWED BY A SERIES OF POSTRELEASE INTERVIEWS AT INTERVALS OF 3, 6, 12, AND 18-24 MONTHS. THE INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE CONCENTRATED ON SPECIFIC BEHAVIORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS IN THE AREAS OF SOCIETAL ADJUSTMENT, LAW ENCOUNTERS, SOCIAL AND INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR, OCCUPATION AND EMPLOYMENT, MONEY MATTERS AND FINANCIAL STATUS, HOUSING, AND PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE. LAW ENFORCEMENT RECORDS WERE CHECKED AT REGULAR INTERVALS ON A STATEWIDE BASIS, AND FINAL REVIEW OF THE RECORDS WAS CONDUCTED 36 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIATION OF THE INVESTIGATION. THE FINDINGS INDICATE A SMALL-SCALE IMPACT OF MANPOWER AND DEVELOPMENT TRAINING (MDT) IN EARLY POSTRELEASE BEHAVIOR, PARTICULARLY IN THE EMPLOYMENT AREA WHERE MDT TRAINEES SPENT 13 PERCENT MORE TIME WORKING AND MADE 3 PERCENT MORE MONEY THAN DID THE NON-TRAINEES DURING THE FIRST 18 MONTHS AFTER RELEASE. THE RECIDIVISM RATES AND TOTAL LAWVIOLATING PERCENTAGES WERE ABOUT THE SAME FOR MDT AND NON -MDT RELEASEES, 30 PERCENT FOR MAJOR CRIMES AND 50 PERCENT FOR ALL LAW VIOLATIONS. EMPLOYMENT PER SE IS A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT PREVENTATIVE TO RECIDIVISM. ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION, ASSESSED BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEPRIVATION SCALE, DIFFERED BY 100 PERCENT FROM THE MAJOR LAW VIOLATORS (RECIDIVISTS) TO THE NON-LAW VIOLATORS. SEVENTY PERCENT MORE MALADAPTIVE BEHAVIOR WAS EXHIBITED BY THE MAJOR LAW VIOLATORS THAN THE NON-LAW VIOLATORS. NUMEROUS TABLES AND GRAPHS ILLUSTRATE THE DISCUSSION. FOR A BRIEF SUMMARY REPORT OF THIS STUDY SEE NCJ-10707.