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Subgroups
This study was a randomized controlled trial. All participating sites used a common set of criteria to determine eligibility. All participants were required to be age 18 or older, convicted as an adult, incarcerated for at least 120 days, enrolled in RExO within 180 days of release, and not convicted of a sex-related offense or a violent crime. Some sites imposed additional eligibility criteria. The exact timing of random assignment varied by participating site. Each site used one of the following models for conducting random assignment: (1) assign potential participants while they were incarcerated; (2) assign potential participants after they were deemed eligible to participate and after they had completed a brief program orientation; or (3) assign potential participants after they were deemed eligible to participate and after they had completed more intensive screening, including assessments and orientation activities. Of the 24 participating sites, 1 site used Model 1, 15 sites used Model 2, and 8 sites used Model 3. Each site recruited 112 to 260 participants. Within each site, about 60 percent of participants were assigned to the intervention group, and 40 percent were assigned to the comparison group. Sites enrolled participants and completed random assignment from January 2010 to January 2011.
Participants were enrolled and randomly assigned from January 2010 to January 2011. The study followed participants for four years.
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
All participants were incarcerated for at least 120 days before enrolling in the program. Most (81 percent) were male. Fifty-one percent of intervention group participants were Black, 33 percent were White, and 3 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native. Less than 1 percent were Asian (0.9 percent) or Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (0.6 percent). Eighteen percent were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Most participants in the intervention and comparison group had a high school diploma or GED (54 percent in the intervention group and 53 percent in the comparison group). Six percent of intervention and comparison group participants were people with disabilities.
Organizations included local and regional nonprofits, national nonprofits, faith-based and community organizations, and community health organizations
The Prisoner Reentry Initiative, later renamed the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders project, began in 2005. Three rounds of funding, each for a two year period, were awarded before the beginning of the study.
RExO provided people who were currently or recently incarcerated with a variety of services designed to help participants locate and prepare for employment. Twenty-four grantees provided RExO services, and the bundle of services provided by each grantee varied. All grantees provided case management, individual or group mentoring, supportive services (for example, housing assistance, transportation, substance use disorder treatment, and child care), job search assistance, and education. Other services included work readiness activities, education, vocational training, job application and interview assistance, pre-release and parole referrals, and other supportive services. Participants could receive financial incentives for achieving milestones, such as remaining employed for a certain period of time. After participants secured employment or left the program, RExO offered follow-up services such as case management and supportive services. The average participant received services for 12 weeks, although the period of service receipt varied widely among participants.
The comparison group had access to any non-RExO services available in the community.
None
The average participant received services for 12 weeks, although the period of service receipt varied widely among participants.
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
A total of 24 sites implemented the intervention. These sites were located in Baltimore, MD; Baton Rouge, LA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Dallas, TX; Denver, CO; Des Moines, IA; Egg Harbor, NJ; Fort Lauderdale, FL; Fresno, CA; Hartford, CT; Kansas City, MO; New Orleans, LA; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Pontiac, MI; Portland, OR; Sacramento, CA; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; and Tucson, AZ. Implementing sites included local and regional nonprofits, national nonprofits, faith-based and community organizations, and community health organizations.
Arrests, convictions, incarceration, physical health, mental health, substance misuse, substance use disorder treatment, and housing