NCJ Number
68705
Date Published
1973
Length
48 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT EVALUATES THE SECOND YEAR OF THE OPERATION OF PROJECT EXIT (EX-OFFENDERS IN TRANSITION), WHICH AIMED TO PROVIDE PRERELEASE JOB PREPARATION, JOB DEVELOPMENT, AND POSTEMPLOYMENT COUNSELING TO MAINE'S EX-OFFENDERS.
Abstract
PROJECT EXIT NOT ONLY AIMS TO DEVELOP JOB AND EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS, BUT IS ALSO A TYPE OF COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONAL PROGRAM AND THUS IS DEPENDENT FOR SUCCESS UPON THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY, ITS CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, AND ITS EMPLOYERS. DATA FOR EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM WERE COLLECTED FROM CLIENTS, INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS ABOUT CLIENTS, AND RECORDS SHOWING UP-TO-DATE CLIENT ACTIVITY IN THE EXIT PROCESS. THE DATA COVER THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 13, 1972, TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1973, WITH 826 CLIENTS REPRESENTED. FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS, CORRELATION ANALYSIS, MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS, AND OTHER STATISTICAL PROCEDURES WERE USED. FIRST JOB TURNOVER WAS SHOWN TO BE HIGH, IN SOME CASES BECAUSE INITIAL EMPLOYMENT LED TO OTHER MORE SATISFACTORY JOBS, IN OTHERS BECAUSE THE POSITIONS WERE INAPPROPRIATE WITH REGARD TO PRE-JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS. THOSE WHOSE LAG TIME BETWEEN EXIT CONTACT AND FIRST PLACEMENT WAS SHORTER WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE FIRED, QUIT, OR BE LAID OFF. EX-OFFENDER INACCESSIBILITY TO AUTOMOBILES APPEARED TO BE A PRIME REASON FOR SECOND JOB FAILURE. ALSO, THE LOWER THE SKILL LEVEL CLASSIFICATION, THE MORE LIKELY THE SECOND JOB WAS TO FAIL. HOWEVER, REAL SUCCESS SEEMED TO BE MEASURABLE BY THE INDIVIDUAL CLIENTS' ABILITY TO FUNCTION ON THEIR OWN: IN A SMALL BUT VALID SAMPLE OF THOSE TERMINATED FROM EXIT, 61 PERCENT WERE EITHER WORKING, OR IN SCHOOL. STUDY SHOWS THAT THE BULK OF THOSE RECIDIVATING DID SO WITHIN THE FIRST 7 MONTHS AFTER RELEASE. PERSONS WHO HAD AT LEAST ATTENDED EXIT'S ORIENTATION PROGRAM WERE LESS LIKELY TO RETURN TO PRISON, AND DURING 1972 THERE WERE OVERALL LOWER RECIDIVISM RATES IN MAINE'S EX-OFFENDER POPULATION. OF THE 698 MALE CLIENTS STUDIED, 111 OR 16 PERCENT WERE INCARCERATED POST-EXIT CONTACT. YET OVERALL, HAVING AN EXIT PLACEMENT DID NOT HAVE ANY MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH REINCARCERATION. NEVERTHELESS, EXIT DID SHOW THAT MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT AND COMMUNITY REINTEGRATION CAN BE SIGNIFICANT REHABILITATIVE FACTORS. TABLES ARE PROVIDED.