ASSESSMENT - THE IMPACT OF PROVIDING FINACIAL OR JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE TO EX-PRISONERS

• NCJ Number: 50012
• Author(s): C L SMITH; D HARRISON; P MARTINEZ
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 270 pages
• Grant Number(s): A20-48-75-44
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Labor
• Corporate Author: Texas Dept of Corrections
• Sale Source: National Technical Information Service; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF FINANCIAL OR JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE ON THE REARREST RATE OF EX-OFFENDERS, 1,975 MALE AND FEMALE INMATES IN TEXAS WERE RANDOMLY CHOSEN, ASSISTED, AND INTERVIEWED AT SELECTED INTERVALS.

Abstract

THE SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO SEX GROUPS. MEMBERS OF THE FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD GROUPS RECEIVED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: THE FIRST RECEIVED $63 A WEEK FOR 26 WEEKS, THE SECOND $63 FOR 13 WEEKS, AND THE THIRD $63 FOR 13 WEEKS, BUT ON A SLIDING SCALE ACCORDING TO EARNINGS. THE FOURTH GROUP RECEIVED INTENSIFIED JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES. INMATES IN THE REMAINING TWO GROUPS SERVED AS CONTROLS. DATA WERE COLLECTED FOR THE FIRST THROUGH FIFTH GROUPS IN PRERELEASE INTERVIEWS AND POSTRELEASE INTERVIEWS (AT 3, 6, AND 12 MONTHS). PRISON DATA WERE COMPILED, THEN WAGE AND REARREST INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED FOR ALL GROUPS FOR A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR FOLLOWING RELEASE. THE RESULTS FAILED TO YIELD SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES FOR EITHER FINANCIAL AID OR JOB PLACEMENT SERVICES. FINANCIAL AID DID SEEM TO BE A DISINCENTIVE TO WORK DURING THE POSTRELEASE PERIOD. FOLLOWING AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAM AND STUDY BACKGROUND, THE METHODOLOGY IS DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN, DECISIONMAKING WITH REGARD TO SELECTING THE STUDY AREA, IDENTIFICATION AND RECRUITMENT OF THE SAMPLE, LOCATING SAMPLE MEMBERS IN THE FIELD, AND THE DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT. THE RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED WITH ATTENTION TO THE EFFECT OF TREATMENT, MULTIPLE ARRESTS, TIMING OF ARRESTS, JUDICIAL OUTCOMES, AND THE EFFECT OF SEX, AGE, RACE, MARITAL STATUS, METHOD OF RELEASE, AND DURATION OF EMPLOYMENT. AN ASSESSMENT IS ALSO INCLUDED OF THE EFFECT OF FINANCIAL AID AND JOB PLACEMENT ON EMPLOYMENT AND WAGES, THE NUMBER OF WEEKS WORKED, AND THE REPORTING OF WAGES TO THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED, ALONG WITH A VARIETY OF APPENDED MATERIALS, INCLUDING ARREST DATA ON NONPARTICIPATING SUBJECTS, OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORIES OF JOBS HELD AFTER RELEASE, INITIAL FIELD CONTACT STATEMENTS, THE TRANSITIONAL AID REQUEST FORM AND JOB PLACEMENT SUMMARY REPORT, THE BACKGROUND DATA SEARCH INSTRUMENTS, AND THE PRERELEASE AND POSTRELEASE QUESTIONNAIRES. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE INCLUDED.