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Post Release Employment Project (PREP) Study Links Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) Work Experience With Successful Post-Release Outcome

NCJ Number
150221
Author(s)
W G Saylor; G G Gaes
Date Published
Unknown
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Office of Evaluation and Research, conducted a Post Release Employment Project (PREP), designed to assess the effect of prison vocational training and work behavior on offenders' behavior upon their release into the community.
Abstract
Data were collected on postrelease outcomes for over 7,000 inmates released between 1983 and 1987. During the project, about 35 percent of inmates in institutions with Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR) operations were actually employed by UNICOR. Of the study sample, 57 percent had exclusive UNICOR work experience, 19 percent had a combination of UNICOR work experience and vocational training, and 24 percent had been involved in vocational or apprenticeship training. The comparison group was matched by gender; security level; and criminal, educational, and employment histories. The PREP findings indicated that inmates who worked through UNICOR or other programs demonstrated better institutional adjustment than the control group. They were less likely to have misconduct reports and, when they were cited for violations, those violations tended to be less serious. Inmates who participated in work programs showed higher levels of responsibility as measured by dependability, financial reliability, and interactions with staff and other inmates. Study and comparison offenders were equally likely to succeed in a halfway house setting, although study participants were more likely to find a job. Inmates who participated in work and vocational programs were less likely to reoffend during their first year back in the community and were earned more money than their counterparts. 5 tables