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DETERMINANTS OF EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS AMONG EX-OFFENDERS

NCJ Number
48555
Journal
OFFENDER REHABILITATION Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (SPRING 1978) Pages: 205-214
Author(s)
G W KNOX; W A STACEY
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
SEVEN COMPREHENSIVE OFFENDER MANPOWER PROGRAM (COMP) PROJECTS PROVIDING JOB PLACEMENTS FOR EXOFFENDERS WERE COMPARED USING A FORM OF COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS. DATA WERE DERIVED FROM 1,660 CLIENT CASES.
Abstract
THE KEY EFFECT VARIABLES ASSESSED INCLUDED RECIDIVISM AND JOB RETENTION RATES, AND PROJECTED EARNINGS. TYPICAL CLIENT POPULATIONS VARIED AMONG THE SEVEN PROGRAMS. IN GENERAL, CLIENTS WERE WHITE MALES, JUVENILES TO YOUNG ADULTS, RANGING IN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL BETWEEN 9.5 AND 11 YEARS. SALARY RANGE FOR JOB PLACEMENTS WAS BETWEEN $2.55 AND $4.19 PER HOUR. ONE OF THE PROJECTS, OPERATION DARE, SERVED AN OLDER AND PRIMARILY BLACK CLIENT POPULATION. THE COST-BENEFIT RATIOS OBTAINED FOR THE SEVEN PROGRAMS WERE ALL GREATER THAN UNITY, RANGING FROM A LOW OF 4.24 TO A HIGH OF 16.88. THE OVERALL COST-BENEFIT RATIO FOR THE COMP PROJECT IN ILLINOIS WAS 6.56 WHICH MAY BE INTERPRETED AS MEANING THAT FOR EVERY PROGRAM DOLLAR SPENT, A SAVINGS OF $6.56 IS REALIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND SOCIETY IN TERMS OF AVERTED COSTS AND DIRECT GAINS. A FURTHER ANALYSIS OF OPERATION DARE WAS CARRIED OUT TO EXAMINE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE DETERMINANTS OF EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS AMONG THIS GROUP OF CLIENTS. THE TYPICAL CLIENT WAS A BLACK MALE WHO WAS LIVING WITH HIS PARENTS AND WHO HAD AN EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF 10.8 YEARS. THESE CLIENTS REPRESENT A MORE HARD-CORE EX-OFFENDER POPULATION THAN THOSE IN THE OTHER PROGRAMS. THEY TENDED TO BE MULTIPLE OFFENDERS, MOST FREQUENTLY CONVICTED OF ARMED ROBBERY, SIMPLE ROBBERY, BURGLARY, OR MURDER. DATA FOR EVALUATION INCLUDED 874 CLIENTS PLACED DURING 1976. CLIENTS WERE ROUTINELY FOLLOWED UP AT 5, 30, AND 90-DAY INTERVALS TO ASSESS EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS. AT 5-DAYS, THE NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS, BEING A VIETNAM VETERAN, AND LIVING WITH A WIFE WERE NEGATIVE PREDICTORS OF EMPLOYMENT RETENTION. AT 30-DAYS, UNION MEMBERSHIP, BEING A A VIETNAM VETERAN, AND LIVING WITH WIFE WERE NEGATIVE PREDICTORS. AT 90-DAYS, A RECENT HOURLY WAGE, HAVING A CAR AND DRIVER'S LICENSE, BEING A VETERAN, A UNION MEMBER, BEING A VIETNAM VETERAN, AND BEING DIVORCED/SEPARATED WERE ALL POSITIVE DETERMINANTS. NEGATIVE DETERMINANTS OF JOB RETENTION AT 90-DAYS INCLUDE: THE COMMISSION OF A VIOLENT CRIME, A FAMILY RECEIVING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, PROPERTY-RELATED OFFENSE, A DRUG-RELATED OFFENSE, BEING BLACK, LIVING WITH A WIFE, AND HAVING AN HONORABLE MILITARY DISCHARGE. THE COST-BENEFIT RATIO FOR OPERATION DARE WAS 5.09. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.