TRANSITION FROM PRISON TO EMPLOYMENT - AN ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY-BASED ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS - NATIONAL EVALUATION PROGRAM - PHASE 1 SUMMARY REPORT

• NCJ Number: 42245
• Author(s): M A TOBORG; L J CENTER; R H MILKMAN; D W DAVIS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 68 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76-NI-99-0083
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Corporate Author: Lazar Institute
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Best Practice/State-of-the-Art Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NATIONAL EVALUATION PROGRAM

Annotation

THIS SUMMARY REPORT ASSESSES THE STATE OF EVALUATION AND RESEARCH KNOWLEDGE AS OF 1977 REGARDING COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS WHICH PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT SERVICES TO PRISON RELEASEES.

Abstract

MORE THAN 250 ORGANIZATIONS OFFERING MANY TYPES OF ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING COUNSELING, JOB DEVELOPMENT, JOB PLACEMENT, WORK ORIENTATION, AND TRAINING AND SUPPORT SERVICES PROVIDED INFORMATION IN RESPONSE TO A MAIL/TELEPHONE SURVEY. EXISTING LITERATURE AND WORK IN PROGRESS WAS REVIEWED, AND SITE VISITS WERE MADE TO 15 PROGRAMS. IT WAS FOUND THAT THERE IS GREAT VARIATION ACROSS PROGRAMS IN THE TYPES OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES OFFERED AND THE WAYS IN WHICH THESE SERVICES ARE DELIVERED; THERE IS LITTLE KNOWN, HOWEVER, ABOUT THE TYPES OF SERVICES WHICH SEEM MOST EFFECTIVE OR ABOUT THE BEST METHOD FOR PROVIDING ANY GIVEN SERVICE. MANY PROGRAMS HAVE ANALYZED WHETHER CLIENTS OBTAIN JOBS, AND MOST REPORTED THAT THE MAJORITY OF CLIENTS ARE SUCCESSFULLY PLACED. AVAILABLE ANALYSES USUALLY INDICATED THAT PROGRAM CLIENTS EXPERIENCE LOWER RATES OF RECIDIVISM THAN DO COMPARISON GROUPS, ALTHOUGH OUTCOMES ARE FAR FROM CONSISTENT FROM ONE PROJECT TO THE NEXT, AND FEW PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN RIGOROUSLY EVALUATED. MOST OUTCOME STUDIES USE QUITE LIMITED IMPACT MEASURES, SUCH AS PLACEMENT AND REARREST RATES, AND DO NOT CONSIDER SUCH FEATURES AS JOB STABILITY, JOB QUALITY, OR THE SEVERITY AND TYPE OF CRIMES COMMITTED. FEW STUDIES COMPARE THE OUTCOMES OF PROGRAM CLIENTS WITH THOSE OF SIMILAR GROUPS OF NONCLIENTS; CONSEQUENTLY, THE EXTENT TO WHICH SUCCESSFUL CLIENT OUTCOMES SHOULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE PROGRAMS' INTERVENTIONS OR TO OTHER CAUSES CANNOT BE DETERMINED. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT FOLLOWUP ANALYSES OF CLIENT OUTCOMES, AS COMPARED WITH OUTCOMES OF APPROPRIATE NONCLIENT GROUPS, BE CONDUCTED; A HANDBOOK BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON WAYS TO CONDUCT EVALUATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROGRAMS; WAYS TO IMPROVE LINKAGES BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND LEAA (THE TWO MAJOR FUNDING SOURCES FOR SUCH PROGRAMS) BE ANALYZED; RELEVANT MATERIALS BE DISSEMINATED TO INTERESTED PROGRAM STAFFS; WAYS TO IMPROVE LINKAGES BETWEEN STAFFS OF CORRECTIONS FACILITIES AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROGRAMS BE ASSESSED; EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AVAILABLE TO WOMEN RELEASEES BE EXPANDED; AND WAYS TO ESTABLISH JOB CREATION PROGRAMS FOR PRISON RELEASEES BE EXPLORED. SUPPORTING DATA TABLES AND CHARTS ARE INCLUDED, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)