# Presentation: 104352

## Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ ProjectThe Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Prisoner Reentry Program:  Early Results from a Random Assignment Evaluation

- Administration for Children and Families
- Welfare Research and Evaluation Conference
- June 2007
- Washington DC

## Policy Context:  Reentry

- Fivefold increase in incarceration since the 1970s; over 2 million now in prison or jail.
- 650,000 released from prison each year, many to distressed urban communities.
- High rates of recidivism hinder public safety and impose high costs.
- Disproportionate impact on African-Americans.

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## Reentry and Employment

- Many barriers to successful reentry; most agree employment is critical.
- Employment challenges for ex-prisoners:
- Personal characteristics (education, work history)
- Effects of incarceration (employer attitudes, legal restrictions).
- Much recent attention, but little known about successful employment strategies.

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## Enhanced Services for the Hard to Employ Project

- Funded by ACF and ASPE (with DOL) to test promising employment strategies for groups facing serious barriers to steady work.
- Led by MDRC, with Urban Institute and other partners.
- Four sites, each targeting a different type of hard-to-employ population; like four separate studies.

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## The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO)

- One the largest and best-known employment programs for ex-prisoners.
- Located in New York City.
- Started by Vera Institute of Justice; independent since 1996.
- Serves 2,000 parolees per year.

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## The CEO Model:  Immediate Work

- Participants placed in CEO work crews within one week after enrollment.
- Supervised by CEO staff.
- Work 4 days/week; paid daily.
- Day 5: Meetings with job coach, job developer, fatherhood program, etc.

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## The CEO Model:  Transition

- When deemed job ready, participants work with job developer to find permanent employment.
- Post-employment follow-up to promote employment retention.

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## The CEO Evaluation:  Design

- From 1/04-10/05, ex-prisoners who showed up at CEO were assigned, at random, to:
- _Program group_:  Regular CEO program.
- _Control group_:  Limited job search assistance.
- RA only conducted in weeks when there were more participants than slots.
- Total sample size: 977  (Program: 568; Control: 409)

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## The CEO Evaluation: Target Group

- Evaluation targets a subset of CEO’s population:  parolees who showed up at CEO after referral by regular parole officer.
- Other key CEO populations in special programs were not included in the study for contractual reasons.

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## Data Now Available

- Baseline data (self-reported).
- Data on quarterly UI-covered employment (not earnings) in NYS.
- Criminal justice data: arrests, convictions, parole status, and incarceration in NYS prisons.
- Data from CEO Management Information System.
- 1 year of follow-up.

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## Characteristics of sample

- Average age:  33
- 93% male.
- Over half are fathers; few live with children.
- 43% no high school diploma or GED.
- 81% ever worked; 62% ever worked six consecutive months for one employer.
- 24% had UI-covered employment in the year _before_ study entry.

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## Characteristics of the sample (cont.)

- Average of 7 prior convictions.
- 52% ever convicted of violent crime.
- Average of 5 years total in NYS prison.
- 59% referred to CEO more than 3 months after last release from NYS prison.

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## Participation in CEO Activities

- 76% of program group completed initial 4-day life skills class.
- 70% of program group worked in CEO transitional job.
- Avg. of 8 weeks in CEO job.

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## Impacts on Employment and Recidivism:  Background

- UI-covered employment includes CEO transitional jobs; not possible to distinguish.
- Incarceration data do not include local jails.
- Statistical significance levels:
- 1 percent:  ***
- 5 percent:  **
- 10 percent: *

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## Impacts on UI-Covered Employment:  Full Sample

| Employed (%) | Program group | Control group | Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 1 | 80.1 | 56.1 | 24.0*** |
| Quarter 1 | 65.8 | 25.9 | 39.9*** |
| Quarter 2 | 59.2 | 34.7 | 24.5*** |
| Quarter 3 | 41.6 | 35.4 | 6.1* |
| Quarter 4 | 33.3 | 33.8 | -0.6 |

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## Recidivism:  Full Sample

| Year 1 (%) | Program group | Control group | Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arrested  | 22.7 | 24.2 | -1.5 |
| Felony conviction | 1.8 | 3.7 | -2.0* |
| Parole revoked or absconded | 20.2 | 20.5 | -0.3 |
| Incarcerated in state prison for any reason | 11.1 | 13.9 | -2.7 |
| Incarcerated in state prison for new crime | 0.7 | 3.1 | -2.4*** |

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## The “Reentry Subgroup”

- Results examined separately for those who came to CEO within 3 mos. after release (n=377) – the “reentry subgroup.”
- Reentry subgroup may better reflect CEO’s overall service population (3/4 come to CEO just after release).
- Model was designed for those just released.
- Analysis tests broadly held belief that its critical intervene quickly after release.

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## More on the Reentry Subgroup

- Baseline characteristics of reentry subgroup similar to those who came later, but:
- Reentry group much less likely to have UI employment in year before study entry:  11% vs. 34%
- Reentry group has higher average total months in state prison: 64 mos. vs. 55 mos.
- CEO participation patterns very similar for reentry subgroup and those who came later.

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## Impacts on UI-Covered Employment:  Reentry Subgroup

| Employed (%) | Program group | Control group | Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Year 1 | 85.4 | 53.3 | 32.1*** |
| Quarter 1 | 69.9 | 26.0 | 43.9*** |
| Quarter 2 | 65.5 | 30.9 | 34.6*** |
| Quarter 3 | 47.8 | 35.0 | 12.8** |
| Quarter 4 | 38.9 | 33.7 | 5.2 |

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## Recidivism:  Reentry Subgroup

| Year 1 (%) | Program group | Control group | Difference |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Arrested  | 21.8 | 27.0 | -5.2 |
| Felony conviction | 1.7 | 6.2 | -4.5** |
| Parole revoked or absconded | 18.8 | 27.0 | -8.2* |
| Incarcerated in state prison for any reason | 9.6 | 19.7 | -10.1*** |
| Incarcerated in state prison for new crime | 0.5 | 5.1 | -4.7*** |

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## Summary of Findings to Date

- Full sample:
- Large but short-lived increase in UI-covered employment (includes CEO transitional jobs).
- Small but statistically significant decreases on felony convictions, incarceration for new crimes – outcomes with most direct implications for public safety.
- Reentry Subgroup
- Employment impacts similar, but decay more slowly.
- Substantial decreases in felony convictions, parole revocation, incarceration for new crimes, overall incarceration.
- Rare to see recidivism impacts in rigorous study.

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## Coming Attractions

- Up to 3 years of follow-up.
- Additional data:
- Survey of 500-550 sample members.
- NYC jail data.
- Individual-level earnings data and employer ID #s.
- Child support payment data.
- Implementation data.
- Report planned for 2008.

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