With over 2 million individuals behind bars in the United States, it is worth noting that more than 608,000 people were released from prison in 2019. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that within a span of five years, up to 55 percent of those individuals may find themselves back behind bars, falling prey to the cycle of re-incarceration.
The causes behind this high recidivism rate are multi-faceted and not easily attributed to a single factor. Additionally, the intricate connection between employment and crime further complicates the matter.
In an effort to address the challenges posed by unstable work history and a lack of interpersonal skills, certain communities have taken steps to implement transitional employment programs. These initiatives aim to promptly place participants into temporary, subsidized positions, often within nonprofit or government organizations.
By doing so, transitional employment programs strive to alleviate structural barriers to obtaining stable employment and enhance individuals’ interpersonal aptitudes. However, it is important to note that the available evidence regarding the efficacy of these programs remains inconclusive.
Help back to work
Recent research from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Social Work and Criminal Justice explored the intended and unintended consequences of employment programs during the Covid pandemic period.
The analysis encompassed not only the immediate effects of engaging in the transitional employment program on employment and recidivism but also delved into the program’s underlying mechanisms.
These mechanisms included factors such as the number of hours worked, the duration of cognitive behavioral interventions, as well as the influence of employment sectors, namely construction, kitchen work, and warehouse/retail, on individuals’ future involvement with the criminal justice system.
Conducted as a randomized control trial spanning from November 26, 2018, to March 31, 2021, the study involved a sample size of 175 participants ranging in age from 19 to 67. On average, the participants had amassed between eight to 10 previous arrests and three to 10 prior convictions.
Notably, nearly all individuals enrolled in the study were unemployed at the time of their participation (92 percent in the treatment group; 95 percent in the control group). Furthermore, a significant majority of the participants experienced frequent unemployment in the year preceding their incarceration (70 percent in the treatment group; 75 percent in the control group).
Negligible impact
The findings of the study revealed that while the transitional employment program did not yield a statistically significant impact on recidivism rates, it did significantly enhance the likelihood of participants securing employment. Furthermore, among those who gained employment, a diminished propensity for recidivism was observed.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that individuals who received reentry services prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and were successful in obtaining employment exhibited a substantially reduced likelihood of re-engaging with the criminal justice system during the one-and-a-half-year follow-up period subsequent to their release from prison.
“Obtaining employment, rather than participation in transitional employment programs, is the driving factor for reducing recidivism,” the researchers explain.
“As such, reentry programs should focus efforts on assisting individuals with prior incarcerations to get employment. They can do this through increasing networks and connections to local businesses, organizations and others to identify and expand job opportunities for program participants.”
Practical support
The transitional employment program under scrutiny in this study operated on the premise of offering practical job opportunities while also integrating evidence-based cognitive-behavioral interventions into its framework. The underlying objective was twofold: augmenting employment prospects and mitigating the likelihood of re-offending.
When executed diligently or in accordance with its intended design, cognitive behavioral interventions have proven to be highly efficacious, standing as one of the most successful forms of treatment for individuals within the criminal justice system. Nonetheless, this study unveiled that participants who received a greater number of cognitive-behavioral treatment hours exhibited a slight decrease in the odds of facing reconviction.
“A number of research questions were examined through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the authors conclude. “Unfortunately, the program in this research study was not immune from the impacts of the pandemic such as tremendous job loss and challenges in delivering intervention programs. If participants in the program had received the full dosage of the cognitive behavioral intervention, it is likely that its impact would have approached intended effects.”
The findings of the study indicate that it is possible to attain reductions in recidivism rates, provided that implementation challenges are effectively addressed and there is an increase in participant engagement, resulting in the provision of a greater number of programmatic hours.
