Study Details | Pathways to Work

28408-Study of Employment

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Employment Intervention for Justice-Involved and Substance-Dependent Adults

Services provided:

Case management, Soft skills training, Training, Work readiness activities (Job development/job placement, Job search assistance)

Setting: Urban only

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

The study was a randomized controlled trial. Researchers recruited people from two Kentucky drug court sites to participate. Eligibility criteria for the study were the same as the criteria for the drug court program. Participants were required to have nonviolent charges, self-identify as facing challenges with drug misuse, be classified as having a substance use disorder using the Addiction Severity Index, and consent to urine testing. After completing baseline interviews, researchers randomly assigned eligible people from both drug courts to receive the enhanced employment intervention or receive drug court services.

Time period of study:

Recruitment for the study occurred from March 2000 to December 2002. Interested participants were interviewed within two weeks of entering the drug court program. Participants were then contacted for 12-month follow-up interviews.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The National Institute on Drug Abuse

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed full time	12 months	High	59.70	67.60	7.90	Percentage points	477
Increase short-term employment	Currently employed part time	12 months	High	15.90	12.90	-3.00	Percentage points	477
Increase short-term employment	Days of paid employment	12 months	High	199.10	210.10	11.00	Days	477

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the intervention. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the intervention, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the intervention produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

These characteristics are for the sample assigned to the intervention and comparison groups. Most participants were male (65 percent), and most were White (62 percent). Participants' average age was 31. On average, participants had been previously incarcerated about 5 times and had completed almost 12 years of education. About half of the participants were employed at baseline (54 percent).

Age

Mean age

31 years

Sex

Female	35%
Male	65%

Family status

Married

18%

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were employed

54%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Center on Drug and Alcohol Research at the University of Kentucky

Program history:

Researchers developed the enhanced drug court employment intervention as a part of the drug court employment trial. This intervention did not exist before the start of the trial.

Intervention services:

Drug court participants who were randomly assigned to the employment intervention condition received 26 weeks of employment services, case management, and life-skills training by trained clinicians with experience in employment and substance abuse counseling. Intervention services were offered in three phases. The first four- to five-week phase focused on obtaining immediate employment and initiating case management services. Before job search activities, intervention participants completed a behavioral contract with their caseworker, and then the caseworker assessed the participant for job readiness. The second 13- to 15-week intervention phase focused on maintaining employment through the development of soft skills. During the maintaining employment phase, intervention participants received training to resolve conflicts at work, set goals and problem-solve, and develop other life skills to lead to successful longer-term employment. The final six-week intervention phase focused on upgrading participants' recently obtained employment by identifying possible employers, enhancing employment skills and job development, and conducting job search and placement activities. Upgrading employment training sessions covered topics such as networking, resume and cover letter writing, filling out job applications, overcoming a criminal record during the hiring process, and workplace behavior.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group received regular drug court services.

Service receipt duration:

The enhanced drug court employment intervention occured in three phases. The first phase—obtaining employment—was 4 to 5 weeks long. The second phase—maintaining employment—was 13 to 15 weeks long. The final phase—upgrading employment—was 6 weeks long. The enhanced drug court employment intervention lasted a total of 23 to 26 weeks.

Intervention funding:

The National Institute on Drug Abuse

Study publications

Leukefeld, Carl, Hope Smiley McDonald, Michele Staton, Allison Mateyoke-Scrivner, Matthew Webster, T.K. Logan, and Tom Garrity (2003). An employment intervention for drug-abusing offenders, Federal Probation 67(2): 27-32. Available at https://www.uscourts.gov/federal-probation-journal/2003/09/employment-intervention-drug-abusing-offenders.

Webster, J. Matthew, Michele Staton-Tindall, Megan F. Dickson, John F. Wilson, and Carl G. Leukefeld (2014). Twelve-month employment intervention outcomes for drug-involved offenders, The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 40(3): 200-205.

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Study of Employment Intervention for Justice-Involved and Substance-Dependent Adults

28408-Study of Employment

Study design

Design:

Study group formation:

Time period of study:

Primary outcome domains examined:

Other outcome domains examined:

Study funded by:

Results

Sample characteristics

Age

Sex

Family status

Participant employment and public benefit status

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Program history:

Intervention services:

Mandatory services:

Comparison services:

Service receipt duration:

Intervention funding:

Study publications