Minnesota Department of Corrections, Saint Paul, USA.
Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2023 Nov;67(15):1547-1564. doi: 10.1177/0306624X231159886. Epub 2023 Mar 14.
Prior research shows employment is an important component of desistance, but there is mixed evidence regarding the effectiveness of prison-based education programs. Therefore, this study examines whether participation in vocational education programs while incarcerated improves recidivism and post-release employment outcomes. In addition, the study controls for the timing of release to examine whether recidivism and employment outcomes varied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Observable selection bias was reduced by using propensity score matching to create similar treatment and comparison groups. After matching, there were no differences in any outcome between those who obtained vocational certificates and the comparison group. The results demonstrate the importance of accounting for selection bias in evaluations of education and employment programs. It is recommended that career-focused educational programs incorporate the risk-needs-responsivity model and the continuum of care principle, build relationships with community employers, and assist with practical barriers to employment.
先前的研究表明，就业是改过自新的一个重要组成部分，但监狱教育项目的效果存在混合证据。因此，本研究考察了在监禁期间参加职业教育项目是否能改善累犯和释放后就业的结果。此外，该研究还控制了释放的时间，以考察在 COVID-19 大流行期间累犯和就业结果是否有所不同。通过使用倾向得分匹配来创建类似的处理组和对照组，减少了可观察的选择偏差。匹配后，获得职业证书的人与对照组在任何结果上都没有差异。研究结果表明，在评估教育和就业项目时，考虑选择偏差非常重要。建议以职业为重点的教育项目纳入风险-需求-反应能力模型和关怀连续性原则，与社区雇主建立关系，并帮助解决就业的实际障碍。
