NCJ Number
62944
Date Published
1978
Length
25 pages
Annotation
RESULTS OF A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE REHABILITATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF A WORK RELEASE PROGRAM IN AN INSTITUTIONAL SETTING AT THE MASSACHUSETTS CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTE AT CONCORD ARE PRESENTED.
Abstract
AS PART OF ITS EMPHASIS ON THE REINTEGRATION OF THE OFFENDER INTO SOCIETY, THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS HAS EXPANDED ITS WORK RELEASE PROGRAM WHICH ALLOW RESIDENTS TO WORK IN THE COMMUNITY WHILE SERVING THEIR SENTENCES. IN THIS STUDY, BASE EXPECTANCY RATES WERE CALCULATED FOR A SAMPLE OF 109 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IDENTIFIED AS SUCCESSFUL WORK RELEASE COMPLETERS IN AN EFFORT TO ASSESS WHETHER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE WORK RELEASE PROGRAM WHILE INCARCERATED WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE RECIDIVISM RATES OF PARTICIPANTS AFTER THEIR RELEASES INTO THE COMMUNITY. SINCE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE RECIDIVISM RATE THAT WAS EXPECTED FOR WORK RELEASE COMPLETERS, 32 PERCENT, AND THEIR ACTUAL RECIDIVISM RATE, 19 PERCENT, WAS FOUND TO BE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE WORK RELEASE PROGRAM DID FAVORABLY AFFECT REINTEGRATION. A DIFFERENTIAL RECIDIVISM ANALYSIS OF THIS WORK RELEASE SAMPLE REVEALED THAT PARTICIPANTS WHO HAD EXPERIENCED FEWER COURT APPEARANCES AND WHO HAD SPENT LESS TIME INCARCERATED WERE LESS LIKELY TO RECIDIVATE AFTER RELEASE. IN ADDITION, A SAMPLE OF 196 INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE WORK RELEASE PROGRAM WERE DIVIDED INTO WORK RELEASE COMPLETERS AND NONCOMPLETERS FOR THE PURPOSE OF IDENTIFYING AND SPECIFIC CHARACTERISTICS THAT DISTINGUISHED ONE SUBSAMPLE FROM THE OTHER. A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS REVEALED SEVEN VARIABLES THAT DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY PARTICULARLY THOSE RELATED TO EMPLOYMENT HISTORY AND PREVIOUS ARRESTS. THESE VARIABLES WERE USED FOR A PROFILE OF WORK RELEASE NONCOMPLETERS THAT COULD BE VALUABLE IN FUTURE SELECTION CRITERIA. REFERENCES, TABULAR DATA, AND APPENDIXES ARE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED). (LWM)