The Effects of Inmates Occupational Prestige on Institutional Misconduct, Post-Prison Employment, and Recidivism

• In Event: Life-Course Outcomes of Criminal Justice-Involved Populations

Abstract

The objective of this presentation is to empirically examine the impact of occupational prestige (i.e., earning potential) among inmate’s released from prison on institutional misconduct, post-prison employment, and recidivism. In this study, occupational prestige is a scale measure created using the results of the National Compensation Survey. This survey is administered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to ensure correct occupational matches when collecting compensation data. The occupations are then classified into Major Occupational Groups (MOGs) that are similar to each other based on their potential wage earnings. There are nine MOGs structured from occupations with the highest earning potential (MOG A) to occupations with the lowest earning potential (MOG K). The research questions will examine whether inmates with higher occupational prestige will be lower in measures of institutional misconduct, meaning they adjust better while being incarcerated, as well as whether inmates with higher occupational prestige will be more likely to gain employment and less likely to recidivate once released from custody. The theoretical framework guiding these research questions is an integrative approach that examines importation and deprivation models through the lens of life course criminology.

Author

• Heather M Zurburg, Florida State University