Research/Document Library
Offender Job Retention
Given the limited amount of research on offender employment, in 2000 the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), Office of Correctional Job Training and Placement (OCJTP), devoted its own resources to gathering information regarding offender job retention. NIC conducted a literature review, which revealed the lack of a logically developed body of knowledge specific to the job retention of offenders. Further, NIC facilitated multiple focus groups of practitioners, offenders, and administrators to determine the topics most relevant to offender job retention. OCJTP also developed a survey consisting of twenty-three, closed-ended questions on several employment and retention related topics including assessment, case management, follow-up, and relapse. The survey was administered to 512 practitioners who participated in the September 2000 distance-learning via satellite broadcast of NIC’s Offender Employment Specialist Training. The survey data was analyzed by February of 2001 and examined what practitioners believe to be the most critical retention factors, important retention obstacles, and common job loss indicators. This information will be useful for practitioners who want to develop intervention strategies designed to improve offender job retention. The survey findings are presented below in the context of career development theory, assessment, case management, and relapse prevention. Furthermore, each section contains highlighted retention strategies that relate to each topic and correspond with the survey results.
- Available online
- http://nicic.gov/
- Melissa Houston
- Date
- March 2006
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections