PBC TEP was designed as an enhanced voluntary reentry intervention for adults at higher risk of re-offending that added 8-12 weeks of subsidized transitional employment, structured cognitive behavioral interventions (CBIs), and job readiness/life skills workshops to standard reentry services. Subsidized transitional employment was in one of three industries: construction, kitchen, or warehouse/retail. The structured cognitive behavioral interventions included CBI-Employment Adult and Moral Reconation Therapy.
The three TEPs varied in their intensity and duration:
- Construction TEP: 10-week, 28-hour per week program with 24 hours of work experience and 4 hours of Moral Reconation Therapy per week.
- Kitchen TEP: 8-week, 16-hour per week program with 2 days of work per week and 4 hours of CBI-Employment per week.
- Warehouse/retail TEP: 12-week, 20-hour per week program with 16 hours of work per week and 4 hours of Moral Reconation Therapy plus attending an employment readiness workshop one day per week.
Eligibility assessments for PBC TEP included completing the LSI-R for risk of re-offending and the Employment Readiness Checklist (ERC) to assess employment readiness. Individuals had to have at least a low/moderate score on the LSI-R (14 or above) and be less job ready (ERC score of 35 or under) to be eligible for PBC TEP. The study was conducted in Palm Beach County, FL.
The comparison group was offered standard comprehensive reentry services provided on a voluntary basis. Interested participants were assigned to one of a set of community-based providers on a rotating basis. Participants were assigned to a case manager at the provider who provided support navigating the reentry process and made referrals to services. Services can include education, substance use or mental health treatment, family reunification, employment assistance, and assistance with basic needs.
Palm Beach County has provided comprehensive reentry services since 2011. The TEP program began in 2017 from a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant. The randomization period spanned November 2018 to March 2021, with data collection occurring through September 2022.
All three TEP providers provided case management and offered individualized services based on risk and need, including education, substance use and mental health treatment, family reunification, and employment assistance, and assistance with basic needs. The three TEPs varied in their intensity and duration, ranging from 8 to 12 weeks.
The study did not discuss any tools to measure fidelity to the intervention model.
The enhanced PBC TEP program was funded through an Innovations in Reentry Initiative grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Palm Beach County delivers its standard reentry services through local and state funds supplemented with federal grants.
The PBC Reentry Task Force oversees reentry programs for Palm Beach County, which is a collaboration between the county Public Safety Department, state Department of Corrections, local Sherrif’s Office, and local community-based service providers. The local community-based service providers deliver the program services. The study took place in Palm Beach County, FL.
PBC TEP was provided through three service providers in Palm Beach County, each specializing in a different industry.
No partners were indicated for delivering PBC TEP.
PBC TEP was designed to serve individuals in state prisons or jails reentering the community who volunteered for reentry services, were at higher risk of re-offending, and were assessed as not being job-ready. The average participant was a Black, non-Hispanic male with at least a high school diploma or GED with extensive prior involvement in the justice system and frequent unemployment in the year prior to incarceration.
The three TEPs varied in their intensity and duration:
- Construction TEP: 10-week, 28-hour per week program with 24 hours of work experience and 4 hours of Moral Reconation Therapy per week and attendance at employment readiness and life skills trainings on days not scheduled to work.
- Kitchen TEP: 8-week, 16-hour per week program with 2 days of work per week and 4 hours of CBI-Employment per week.
- Warehouse/retail TEP: 12-week, 20-hour per week program with 16 hours of work per week and 4 hours of Moral Reconation Therapy plus attending an employment readiness workshop one day per week.
All participants were assigned to a case manager at their provider. The study did not describe the staff providing the TEP services.