Improving Employment and Reducing Recidivism Among Prison Offenders Via Virtual Interview Training Tool (MICHR)

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The goal is to conduct a feasibility effectiveness RCT of Virtual Interview Training (VIT) by comparing employment and recidivism outcomes of offenders (25 years and older) receiving vocational services as usual (SAU) plus VIT (SAU+VIT) with the outcomes of offenders receiving only services as usual (SAU-only). The plan calls for participants to include offenders who are at moderate to high risk for reoffending (with an emphasis on violent-crime reoffending) who are currently enrolled in a Vocational Village Prison Setting with the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Detailed Description
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More than 600,000 ex-offenders re-enter the community from prison each year and 50% of them recidivate within 12 months of release. Employment significantly reduces the risk of recidivism for ex-offenders, and as such, is a critical target for intervention. However, evidence-based employment services are rarely delivered in prisons. Moreover, employment services that are available do not include evidence-based job interview training. Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT) is an evidence-based tool that was developed and evaluated with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health. However, VR-JIT has a feature to practice discussing a prior conviction during a job interview that has not yet been evaluated. Given that an ex-offender's job interview outcome may depend on discussing their prior conviction, we are partnering with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) to evaluate if delivering VR-JIT within their Vocational Village program can improve employment and reduce recidivism among offenders after their release from prison. Thus, there are two goals for this pilot study. We will evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of whether VR-JIT added to Vocational Village services-as-usual improves outcomes (interview skills, employment, recidivism) for offenders after their release from prison (at a 6-month follow-up visit). These preliminary data will support a proposal to a federal agency for a fully-powered randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-JIT with prison settings.

Official Title
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Improving Employment and Reducing Recidivism Among Prison Offenders Via Virtual Interview Training Tool (MICHR)

Conditions
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Criminal Behavior

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Virtual Reality Job Interview Training
* Behavioral: Services as usual


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: 25 years or older Identified as at moderate to high risk for reoffending with violent crimes (determined at the time of enrollment in the Vocational Village via the COMPAS Risk Assessment Classification Instrument [60]) Within three months of their earliest release date Actively enrolled in a Vocational Village Have at least a 6th grade reading comprehension Exclusion Criteria: Has uncorrected hearing or visual problem that prevents him or her from using the training Has a medical illness that compromises their cognition (for example, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury).

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 25 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Male

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Services as usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training<br>In addition to the services as usual, participants will participate in Virtual Reality Job Interview Training. | Behavioral: Virtual Reality Job Interview Training<br>* Participants will engage in training related to preforming well during a job interview as well as repeated job interview practice with a virtual hiring manager. Participants will receive feedback and tips on improving skills throughout training.<br>Behavioral: Services as usual<br>* Study participants will be receiving Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Services as Usual<br>Study participants will be receiving their Vocational Village services as usual that may include but not limited to vocational skill training, and social skill training. | Behavioral: Services as usual<br>* Study participants will be receiving Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire | Employment rate will be measured by participant self-report using a questionnaire. | 6 Month & 12 month follow up after villagers are released. | 
| Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS) | Interviewing skills were measured using a role-play measure in which subjects act out two job interview scenarios with trained actors. Interviews were video recorded and scored. An average of the two scenarios at baseline was used to create a single pretest score and an average of the two scenarios at posttest was used to create a single posttest score. The method of assessment is the job interview skills rating scale as measured by the Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS). Possible scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating better interview skills. | Pretest (Baseline) and Posttest (approximately 6 weeks after Baseline) | 
| Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire | Recidivism status will be collected via follow up self-report survey with a questions asking if they have been re-arrested (yes/no). The recidivism self-report data will be validated by administrative data collected from MDOC. | 6 Month and 12 months after Villager Release Date |