NCJ Number
15330
Date Published
1974
Length
319 pages
Annotation
EVALUATION OF WHETHER AN ACTIVE POLICY OF FINDING SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT FOR PRISONERS IMMEDIATELY ON THEIR RELEASE HAS BENEFICIAL RESULTS.
Abstract
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PRISON AFTER-CARE IS TRACED. UP UNTIL THE SECOND WORLD WAR, THE EMPHASIS WAS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT FOR EXOFFENDERS. THE RESULTS OF THE APEX PROJECT, SET UP TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FINDING WORK FOR EX-PRISONERS, ARE PRESENTED. DURING THE FIRST FIVE YEARS OF THIS PROJECT, 439 MEN WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM TWO LONDON PRISONS AND OFFERED THE SERVICES OF A SPECIALIZED EMPLOYMENT AGENCY. PRISONER RESPONSES TO THIS OFFER WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO FULL ACCEPTANCE, PARTIAL ACCEPTANCE, REJECTION AND MISCELLANEOUS. THE OUTCOME FOR THESE MEN IS COMPARED WITH A CONTROL GROUP OF OVER 300 MEN RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE SAME PRISONS. DESCRIBED ARE THE EFFORTS SOMETIMES NEEDED TO FIND 'SUITABLE EMPLOYMENT' FOR PRISONERS ON RELEASE. ALSO PRESENTED ARE THE OUTCOMES OF THE JOB INTERVIEWS, ARRANGED IN TERMS OF THE PROPORTIONS ATTENDING THE INTERVIEWS, STARTING THE JOBS AND THE LENGTH OF TIME MEN STAYED IN THE JOBS ARRANGED. EXAMINATION OF THE SUBSEQUENT RECONVICTION RATES FOR THE VARIOUS GROUPS OF OFFENDERS AT THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR SHOWED NO DIFFERENCES IN THE PROPORTIONS OF THE VARIOUS GROUPS WHO WERE RECONVICTED. THE POSSIBILITY OF PREDICTING THOSE PRISONERS WHO ARE UNLIKELY TO BE HELPED BY THE PROVISION OF EMPLOYMENT ON RELEASE IS EXPLORED, AND THE POSSIBLE USE OF COMPUTER TECHNIQUES IN THE INDIVIDUALIZATION OF TREATMENT IS BRIEFLY DISCUSSED.