Study Details | Pathways to Work

8518-Study of Adult Trans

Study quality:

Moderate

Reason for the rating: This study received a moderate study quality rating because it is a quasi-experimental design that establishes that the program and comparison groups are similar at baseline and adjusts impact estimates to account for any minor differences in the groups.

Program: Adult Transition Centers (ATCs)

Characteristics of study participants:

Justice involvement

Services provided:

Job placement, Paid work experience/internships

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for impact review: Version 2.0

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Study design

Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Study group formation:

The study used a difference-in-difference analysis to examine how participation in an Illinois Adult Transition Center (ATC) affected the earnings and employment of formerly incarcerated men. The sample included men released from Illinois state prisons between Quarter 1 of 1995 and Quarter 2 of 2003 who committed a crime in Cook County and had not been convicted of sex offenses or class X felonies. The program group consisted of individuals who participated in an ATC and served fewer than four years in prison. The comparison group consisted of individuals released from a minimum-security prison after serving more than 85 days (but fewer than 4 years) who were eligible for an ATC but did not participate in the program, either because they did not apply or because they were not selected to participate. A total of 12,193 individuals were included in the study, with 6,057 individuals in the program group and 6,136 individuals in the comparison group.

Time period of study:

The study ran from January 1995 to June 2003. The administrative data match included individuals released from prison between January 1995 and June 2003. Data collection occurred from January 1995 to June 2003, with outcomes measured in administrative data for an average of 21 quarters after release.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase long-term earnings, Increase very long-term earnings, Increase long-term employment, Increase very long-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

This study was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Grant Number 02-DB-BX-0017.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Impact	Units	Sample size
Increase long-term earnings	Average quarterly earnings	Quarters 1 to 8	Moderate	82.00	2003 dollars	12,193
Increase very long-term earnings	Average quarterly earnings	Quarters 12 to 32	Moderate	48.00	2003 dollars	12,193
Increase long-term employment	Average quarterly employment rate	Quarters 1 to 8	Moderate	2.30	percentage points	12,193
Increase very long-term employment	Average quarterly employment rate	Quarters 12 to 32	Moderate	2.30	percentage points	12,193

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.

Means are not displayed when not reported or not aligned with the impact estimates. For example, if the impact estimate is regression-adjusted but only unadjusted means are reported in the study, the unadjusted means are not displayed as they are not aligned with the adjusted impact estimate.

Impact estimates are not shown when the estimate units cannot be converted to natural units.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the program. 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 program, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the program 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

The sample was composed of incarcerated males who were released to Cook County, IL from a state prison who were not sex offenders and did not have a class X felony. Most participants were Black (81 percent). The majority of participants had less than a high school diploma or equivalent (57 percent).

Characteristics may sum to greater than 100 percent due to rounding.

Age

Mean age

31 years

Sex

Male

100%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	81%
Unknown, not reported, or other	19%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Family status

Married	27%
Parents	39%

Education

Had a high school diploma or GED	43%
Did not have a high school diploma or GED	57%

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system	100%
Were fomerly incarcerated	100%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Illinois Department of Corrections

Program history:

Adult Transition Centers (ATCs) were an existing program implemented by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Program services:

ATCs, run by the Illinois Department of Corrections, provided prisoners with the opportunity to serve a portion of their prison term while living and working in the community. When first placed in an ATC, participating prisoners received counseling and 35 hours a week of individualized education, public service, training, and employment programming. After complying with rules and participation requirements for 23 days, participants could seek employment in the community, with support from the ATC. Over the course of the program, participants progressed through four levels of programming, where each level had its own standards, goals, and privileges. Until release, the state withheld 20 percent of the participant's after-tax earnings. Participants were removed from the ATC and sent back to prison if they violated any major program rule.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group was composed of individuals released from minimum-security prisons who were eligible but did not serve time in ATCs.

Service receipt duration:

The average duration of services was six months. The program had up to five phases, each varying in duration and dependent upon successful completion of each prior phase.

Program funding:

This program was funded by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Study publications

Jung, Haeil (2014). Do prison work-release programs improve subsequent labor market outcomes? Evidence from the adult transition centers in Illinois, Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 53(5): 384-402. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10509674.2014.922158

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Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Adult Transition Centers (ATCs)