Article 2017

Assessing the statewide impact of the Specter Vocational Program on reentry outcomes: A propensity score matching analysis

HL
Hill, Leslie Brooke
 SS
Scaggs, Samuel J.A.
 BW
Bales, William D.
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation
Journal · Vol. 56 · Issue 1 · pp. 61-86
Abstract

The Specter program was a vocational work program offered by the Florida Department of Corrections from 1997–2012. Using propensity score matching, inmates who earned a Specter vocational certificate had statistically significantly lower rates of recidivism within three years of release from prison compared to inmates who had not earned a certificate. However, those who earned a Specter certificate did not have statistically significant improvements in postrelease employment within three months of release. As a result, we will discuss the possibilities for conflicting findings regarding employment and recidivism as well as potential avenues for future research. © 2017 Taylor & Francis.

Keywords

Author Keywords

reentry Program evaluation recidivism vocational program propensity score analyses

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States
RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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