Study Details | Pathways to Work

101015.02-Study of Center for

Study quality: Low

Low

Reason for the rating: This study received a low study quality rating because it is a high-attrition randomized controlled trial that does not demonstrate that the program and comparison groups were sufficiently similar before the program.

Program: Center for Employment Opportunities Prisoner Reentry Program Pay for Success Pilot

Characteristics of study participants:

Justice involvement

Services provided:

Basic skills/bridge programs, Case management, Housing supports and subsidies, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Performance- or behavior-based financial incentives, Post-employment participant follow-up, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs

Setting: Urban only

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 2.0

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Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision identified eligible participants for the Center for Employment Opportunities Prisoner Reentry Program Pay For Success Pilot (CEO Prisoner Reentry PFS Pilot) two to four weeks prior to their release on parole. Eligible participants were individuals being released in either Rochester or New York City who were identified as highest risk for recidivism. Participants were required to participate in the program services and study as part of their parole. Once individuals were screened for eligibility, participants were randomized individually to either the program or to the business-as-usual comparison condition. A total of 2,357 participants were enrolled in the study, with 1,502 participants assigned to the program group and 855 participants assigned to the comparison group.

Time period of study:

The study ran from December 2013 to October 2016. Study enrollment ran from December 2013 to September 2015. Study data collection occurred from December 2013 to October 2016, with outcomes measured over a one-year follow-up period after study enrollment.

Pathways to Work only reports results from studies with a study quality rating of high or moderate.

Sample characteristics

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system

100%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Center for Employment Opportunities

Program services:

The Center for Employment Opportunities Prisoner Reentry Program Pay For Success Pilot (CEO Prisoner Reentry PFS Pilot) connected participants with transitional employment soon after their release from prison. The program lasted four to six months and focused on helping parolees get a job, earn wages, and build workplace skills. The program provided work-readiness training, transitional employment, staff support, job placement assistance, and one year of post-placement follow up. The PFS Pilot differed from prior implementations of CEO prisoner reentry services by targeting participants with higher risks of recidivism and by assigning participation in CEO as a required "special condition" of parole rather than an optional suggested resource.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

Individuals assigned to the business-as-usual comparison condition were not directly referred to the CEO Prisoner Reentry PFS Pilot services. They could access existing services in the community, including existing services offered by CEO.

Study publications

Kean, Eliza, Deena Schwartz, Bethany Boland, Maureen Sarna, and Karin Martinson (2020). Process study of the U.S. Department of Labor’s “Pay for Success” pilots in two states: Final report. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor. Available at: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/publications/ETAOP2022-24_Pay_for_Success_Report_FINAL.pdf

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Study of Center for Employment Opportunities Prisoner Reentry Program Pay for Success Pilot