STUDY OF FACTORS AFFECTING POST-RELEASE ADJUSTMENT OF VOCATIONALLY TRAINED OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 14267
• Author(s): C M WHITSON; W E MONROE
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 4 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Texas Education Agency
• Corporate Author: Texas Dept of Corrections
• Sale Source: Texas Dept of Corrections; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING AS A COMPONENT IN INMATE REHABILITATION.

Abstract

THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ESTABLISH A SYSTEM WHEREBY CONTINUOUS FOLLOW-UP INFORMATION ON GRADUATES AND FUTURE GRADUATES OF THE WINDHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT VOCATIONAL DEPARTMENT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR EVALUATIVE PURPOSES. THE WINDHAM PROGRAM IS THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM TO BE ESTABLISHED WITHIN A STATEWIDE PRISON SYSTEM. DATA ON 864 EX-STUDENTS (RELEASED AND INCARCERATED) WAS COLLECTED THROUGH THE USE OF BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS AND SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES. ALL INFORMATION WAS THEN ANALYZED BY COMPUTER TO DETERMINE THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AND WITHIN TREATMENT GROUPS. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND BETWEEN AND WITHIN THE COMMUNITY FOLLOW-UP TREATMENT GROUPS IN DEMOGRAPHIC, TRAINING, INSTITUTIONAL AND POST-RELEASE VARIABLES. THOSE WHO WERE EMPLOYED IN TRAINING RELATED JOBS AT THE TIME OF DATA COLLECTION DISPLAYED A HIGHER DEGREE OF POST-RELEASE ADJUSTMENT COUPLED WITH A LOWER TENDENCY TOWARD RECIDIVISM THAN DID THE DIFFERENT-FROM-TRAINING AND UNEMPLOYED GROUPS. THEREFORE, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT MORE EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED ON PLACEMENT IN TRAINING-RELATED JOBS FOR RELEASEES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)