Employment and Offender Rehabilitation: A Case for Inmates with Disabilities

• In Event: Employment and the Prisoner Reentry Process

Abstract

Offender rehabilitation has received widespread attention in the field of criminology owing to its role in reducing recidivism and promoting offender reintegration in communities. Despite this fact, researchers have often overlooked its effects on an important demographic in prisons- offenders with disabilities. As noted in a 2006 study by the Department of Justice, more than fifty percent of the prison inmate population have a mental illness compared to eleven percent of the general population (Daniel, 2007). Prior research has noted the role of employment in offender rehabilitation. Through mechanisms such as providing stability, economic independence and contribution in the society, steady employment can be successful in reintegration, promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. While utilizing the Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 data set, this paper aims to measure the success of employment related vocational rehabilitation services in securing employment for offenders with disabilities.

Author

• Natasha Ali Baloch, University of South Florida