NCJ Number
61850
Journal
OFFENDER REHABILITATION Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Dated: (SUMMER 1979) Pages: 325-339
Date Published
1979
Length
15 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT SUMMARIZES AN 8- AND 10-YEAR FOLLOWUP OF THE NEW CAREERS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. PROJECT PARTICIPANTS OFFENDERS AND PAROLEES SPENT 50 PERCENT LESS TIME INCARCERATED, ON THE AVERAGE, THAN A COMPARISON GROUP.
Abstract
THE NEW CAREERS PROJECT WAS INTENDED TO DEVELOP ONE KIND OF PROBLEM PERSON (THE OFFENDER) FOR A NEW TYPE OF NONPROFESSIONAL ROLE IN THE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT FIELD. PARTICIPANTS TOOK PART IN A 4-MONTH INTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM DURING INCARCERATION AND ATTENDED GROUP SESSIONS DURING THE PAROLE PERIOD. TRAINING INVOLVED PROBLEM DEFINITION, FACT FINDING PROCEDURES, DATA GATHERING TECHNIQUES, IDENTIFICATION OF KEY DECISIONMAKERS, SYNTHESIS OF FINDINGS, PREPARATION OF A PLAN, AND PROPOSAL PRESENTATION. THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO MEASURE PROGRAM EFFECTS ON PARTICIPANTS AND THE INFLUENCE OF THESE EFFECTS OVER TIME. OF THE 18 MALE INMATES SELECTED FROM VOLUNTEERS, 11 WERE WHITE, 6 WERE BLACK, AND 1 WAS MEXICAN-AMERICAN. MEAN AGE AT TIME OF RELEASE WAS 27.9 YEARS. HALF WERE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES, THREE HAD COMPLETED SOME COLLEGE WORK BEFORE PRISON, ALL HAD EXTENSIVE ARREST RECORDS, AND MOST WERE UNSKILLED. PARTICIPANTS WERE COMPARED IN TERMS OF FAVORABLE VERSUS UNFAVORABLE OUTCOME AFTER 2 YEARS AGAINST WHAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED FROM THEIR INTAKE CHARACTERISTICS (BASE EXPECTANCY). OUTCOME AFTER 10 YEARS WAS EVALUATED USING A COMPARISON GROUP OF 150 INMATES RELEASED FROM THE SAME INSTITUTION DURING THE SAME TIME. IN ADDITION, AN 8-YEAR FOLLOWUP STUDY BASED ON INTERVIEWS, GUESTIONNAIRES, AND SECONDARY SOURCE INFORMATION WAS MADE. THE STUDY FOUND THAT (1) ALTHOUGH THE NEW CAREERISTS SPENT 50 PERCENT LESS TIME INCARCERATED THAN THE COMPARISON GROUP, THIS WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, (2) WHILE THE PROGRAM WAS EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING UNFAVORABLE PAROLE OUTCOME WITHIN THE FIRST 2 YEARS FOLLOWING RELEASE, FEW STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FAVORING THE TRAINED GROUP COULD BE FOUND AFTER 10 YEARS, AND (3) OF THE 18 NEW CAREERISTS FOR THE FOLLOWUP INFORMATION WAS OBTAINED, 11 WERE INVOLVED IN PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, AT LEAST 2 HAD COMPLETED DOCTORAL DEGREES, 2 HAD COMPLETED OR WERE WORKING ON MASTERS DEGREES, AND 5 HAD COMPLETED BACHELORS DEGREES. FINDINGS SUGGEST A NEED FOR INCLUSION OF SOCIAL VARIABLES IN OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE AREA OF PROGRAM EVALUATION. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (PRG)