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Newly released parolees in Tarrant County, TX, were given information and invited to an intake meeting at their mandatory new arrival orientation. Recently released people who were not subject to parole and who therefore were not required to attend the new arrival orientation also received invitation letters. People were eligible if they were age 18 or older, had been convicted of a crime as an adult under federal or state law, had not been convicted of a sex offense, had been released from prison in the past 120 days, were living in Tarrant County, were registered with Selective Service, and met at least two of several additional criteria. The additional criteria included the following: not having recent skilled employment, being long-term unemployed, being unable to return to their former profession, not having a high school diploma, having a high school diploma but reading below the ninth-grade level, being homeless, not having a right-to-work document, having a physical or mental limitation or disability, or not earning a credential or degree in the past five years in a high-demand occupation field. A total of 999 people were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (503) or the comparison group (496).
Evaluators randomly assigned people into groups from November 2011 to December 2013. The study reports impacts up to 30 months after random assignment.
Employment and Training Administration in the U.S. Department of Labor and ACF
The study examined formerly incarcerated people. Most people were male (90 percent) and Black (52 percent). Participants were, on average, 38 years old. At the time the study began, 9 percent were married, 35 percent were noncustodial parents, 16 percent were homeless, and 15 percent did not have a high school diploma.
Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County (workforce development board)
Next STEP (Subsidized Transitional Employment Program) was a new program funded by ETJD. Previously, Tarrant County had two similar programs: Project Re-Integration of Offenders and Tarrant County STEP, which both lost funding in 2011.
The Next STEP program served formerly incarcerated people. Participants received 2 weeks of work-readiness training and then worked with a job developer to be placed in a private job with subsidized wages for 16 weeks (with a full subsidy for 8 weeks and a half subsidy for the subsequent 8 weeks). All employers agreed to retain the participant if they did well, and participants received continued job retention assistance. In addition to subsidized employment opportunities, participants had access to case management, mental health services, financial incentives, and legal assistance.
Comparison group members could not participate in Next STEP, but they could receive services from other providers, such as Texas ReEntry Services or another workforce center.
None.
The initial assessment and work-readiness workshops lasted 2 weeks. Participants' wages were subsidized for 16 weeks, and employers were expected to hire participants in good standing at the end of the subsidy. After beginning unsubsidized employment, participants received retention services quarterly for an unspecified duration.
Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
The program took place in Fort Worth, TX.
Criminal justice, Child support, Material hardship, Economic and personal well-being