NCJ Number
73384
Journal
Journal of Offender Counseling, Services and Rehabilitation Volume: 4 Issue: 4 Dated: (Summer 1980) Pages: 343-356
Date Published
1980
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The effects of an experimental vocational program upon a group of hard-core unemployed ex-offenders are compared with the effects of a standard comprehensive manpower program upon an ex-offender population.
Abstract
A sample of 478 hard-core unemployed ex-offenders was randomly assigned to a treatment program called the Ex-Offender Clearinghouse, which provides assessment, orientation, and individual and group counseling for clients. A second sample of 478 ex-offenders was given standard comprehensive manpower services without participation in the treatment program. The mean number of weeks clients were enrolled in the program before being placed in either a job or vocational training was computed for both the experimental and control groups. The Clearinghouse treatment group had a significantly shorter length of time enrolled in the program prior to positive placement than did the control group. A chi square coefficient was computed to examine the relationship between Clearinghouse offender participation, control group participation, and the type of termination a client experienced. Nonpositive terminations included disciplinary terminations, programmatic dropouts, and voluntary terminations, prior to placement. Positive placements include employment acquisition, vocational training, placement, and placement in educational development settings. The rate of positive programmatic terminations was significantly higher for Clearinghouse clients. The treatment group, however, was not more successful than the control group in finding primary labor placements (jobs paying over $3.25 per hour). Tabular data and 19 references are provided.