WILDCAT EXPERIMENT - AN EARLY TEST OF SUPPORTED WORK IN DRUG ABUSE REHABILITATION

• NCJ Number: 61740
• Author(s): L N FRIEDMAN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 158 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare; New York City Dept of Employment; New York City Addiction Services Agency
• Corporate Author: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS MONOGRAPH EVALUATES THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF A NEW YORK CITY-SUPPORTED WORK PROGRAM THAT HIRED GROUPS FORMERLY CONSIDERED UNEMPLOYABLE SUCH AS HEROIN ADDICTS AND CRIMINAL OFFENDERS.

Abstract

THE WILDCAT PROJECT MOBILIZED CREWS OF HARDCORE EMPLOYABLE WORKERS AND ASSIGNED MEMBERS TO A VARIETY OF TASKS IN TERMS. PARTICIPANTS WERE PLACED LARGELY IN CITY JOBS IN AREAS SUCH AS CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE (ALTHOUGH SOME WORKERS WERE PLACED IN THE CITY LIBRARY AND OTHER NONGROUP POSITIONS). FEATURES OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT WERE CLEAR DEFINITION OF WORK RULES AND TASKS, CONTINUING AND FREQUENT EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK, LOW-STRESS WORK MILIEU, FREQUENT REWARDS, COUNSELING, AND DISCIPLINARY POLICIES AIMED AT PRODUCTIVITY AND GOOD WORK HABITS. WILDCAT EXPERIMENT APPLICANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO SAMPLE GROUPS OF 194 EXPERIMENTALS AND 207 CONTROLS UNEMPLOYABLES NOT IN SUPPORTED WORK PROGRAMS AND STUDIED FOR 3 YEARS. ABOUT 90 PERCENT OF EACH GROUP WERE MALE, 60 PERCENT WERE BLACK, 30 PERCENT WERE HISPANIC AND 10 PERCENT WERE WHITE. TYPICAL MEMBERS WERE 31 YEARS OLD, HAD 8 ARRESTS AND 4 CONVICTIONS, HAD AN 11-YEAR HEROIN ADDICTION, AND HAD BEEN ENROLLED IN A DRUG TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR 1 YEAR. MOST WERE ON WELFARE AND HAD NOT WORKED FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS. THE REPORT FOUND THAT WILDCAT SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE EMPLOYMENT STABILITY AND EARNING CAPACITY TO ITS EMPLOYEES. ALTHOUGH EXPERIMENTALS WORKED AND EARNED MORE THAN CONTROLS, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE GROUPS DIMINISHED DURING 3 YEARS. DESPITE THIS EVIDENCE STILL SHOWS THAT PARTICIPATION IN WILDCAT IMPROVED THE WORKER'S LONG-TERM EARNING CAPACITY. WILDCAT ALSO REDUCED LONG-TERM DEPENDENCY ON WELFARE, AND EXPERIMENTALS WERE LESS LIKELY TO BE ARRESTED DURING THE FIRST YEAR THAN WERE CONTROLS. WHILE WILDCAT DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON DRUG OR ALCOHOL USE, THE MORE PEOPLE WORKED--EITHER AT WILDCAT OR IN NONSUBSIDIZED EMPLOYMENT--THE LESS LIKELY THEY WERE TO USE DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. FURTHER, EXPERIMENTALS WERE MORE LIKELY TO GET MARRIED AND SUPPORT OTHER PEOPLE. THE REPORT ALSO FOUND THAT, USING A COMBINED COST-BENEFIT CALCULATION, THE TAXPAYER RECEIVED $1.12 FOR EVERY DOLLAR INVESTED IN WILDCAT. A TOTAL OF 47 FIGURES AND TABLES AND 4 APPENDIXES ARE ATTACHED. (AOP)