Assessing the Effects of Work Release on Employment and Reoffending

• In Event: Employment Focused Programs and Prisoner Reentry

Abstract

Work release is a community transition program in which prison inmates are housed in community-based facilities and work in the community during business hours. While Florida originally implemented work release programs nearly four decades ago, there is a dearth of empirical research on its effectiveneness in promoting post-release employment and reducing recidivism. This study uses data from the Florida Department of Corrections through a researcher-practitioner partnership funded by NIJ to assess the impact of work release programs on the post-release outcomes of employment and various indicators of recidivism. We also examine the differences between work release completers and non-completers as well as the duration of participation in work release programs on post-release outcomes.

Authors

• Samuel Scaggs, Florida State University

• David Ensley, Florida Department of Corrections

• Philip Coltharp, Florida Department of Corrections

• William Bales, Florida State University

• Catie Clark, Florida State University