NCJ Number
91546
Journal
Journal of Offender Counseling Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: (October 1983) Pages: 15-20
Date Published
1983
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes a career planning program for ex-offenders designed to enhance their employment potential, and the effects of the program on participants' career-related attitudes and competence are reported.
Abstract
Program participants were 16 ex-offenders living in a halfway house. The 4-month career planning program required a minimum of 4 hours weekly participation, and the participation of most exceeded the minimum requirement. During the program's first phase, participants were encouraged to examine their skills, abilities, personal characteristics, work values, and temperament as these interacted with past work situations. Through the use of objective tests and inventories, the program's second phase helped participants identify their vocational interests and personal attributes, and the third phase involved an intensive examination of the work setting. The final phase of the program provided guidance in locating, obtaining, and retaining employment. The pretest and posttest measured competence and attitude in relation to career issues. On the attitude scale, the participants became more definite about making a career choice but showed no improvement in pursuing a career, relying less upon others for help with the choice, changing their attitudes toward work, or being willing to compromise in the conflict between personal needs and real situations. On the competence test, the subjects showed significant improvement in ability to solve problems arising in the career process, in planning the career sequence, and in understanding the need to match personal needs with job characteristics and demands; however, participants showed no increase in ability to integrate occupational information or appraise career-relevant capabilities of others. Tabular data and 29 references are provided.