Study Details | Pathways to Work

101019.01-Study of Palm Beach

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a low-attrition randomized controlled trial with no known issues that suggest the findings cannot be attributed to the intervention.

Intervention: Palm Beach County Transitional Employment Program

Population and employment barriers:

Employment status (Unemployed), Public Benefits Recipients (Public benefits recipients), Specific employment barriers (Justice involvement)

Services provided:

Case management, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Mental health services, Soft skills training, Subsidized employment/transitional jobs, Work supports

Setting: Tested in multiple settings

Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

Eligible individuals who expressed interest in paritcipating in TEP were randomly assigned into the treatment or control group by a case manager. Randomization was conducted separately by three community-based service providers, each of which shared their randomization lists with the study author. The pre-pandemic cohort was randomized between November 2018 and early March 2020.

Time period of study:

The study collected follow-up employment data for 18 months following program enrollment.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

Recidvism (rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration).

Study funded by:

Study funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance through a federal grant (Grant No. 2017-CZ-BX-0003).

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Comparison group mean	Intervention group mean	Impact	Units	Findings	Sample size
Increase short-term employment	Employed at any time in follow-up period	Not provided	High	0.00	0.00	29.80	percentage points		115

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.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

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

Based on baseline study population statistics for the full randomized sample (pre- and post-COVID onset combined), participants are all formerly incarcerated, predominantly male (92-96%), 39-41 years old, Black, non-Hispanic (74-77%), unemployed (92-95%), and with at least a high school diploma/GED (53-54%).

Age

Mean age

40 years

Sex

Female	6%
Male	94%

Participant race and ethnicity

Black or African American	75%
White	23%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	6%
Another race	2%

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.

Participant employment and public benefit status

Were unemployed

94%

Participant education

Had a high school diploma or GED

54%

Specific employment barriers

Were involved with the justice system

100%

Intervention implementation

Implementing organization:

Three community-based reentry service providers, specialized in construction, kitchen, and warehouse/retail industries.

Program history:

The program was launched in 2018, the first year of the study.

Intervention services:

The Palm Beach County Transitional Employment Program (PBC TEP) was designed as an enhanced reentry service intervention that added 8-12 weeks of subsidized transitional employment (in construction, kitchen, or warehouse/retail), structured cognitive behavioral interventions (CBI-Employment Adult and Moral Reconation Therapy), and job readiness/life skills workshops to standard reentry services. It targeted adults returning to Palm Beach County from state prison or jail who volunteered for reentry services and were at higher-risk of reoffending and not job-ready.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group consisted of adults who received reentry services as usual without subsidized transitional employment, cognitive behavioral interventions, and job readiness/life skills workshops.

Service receipt duration:

8-12 weeks

Intervention funding:

Program funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance through a federal grant (Grant No. 2017-CZ-BX-0003).

Study publications

Atkin-Plunk, Cassandra A. 2024. Examining the Effects of a Transitional Employment Program for Formerly Incarcerated People on Employment and Recidivism: A Randomized Controlled Trial During COVID-19. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 20: 1293-1321. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-023-09578-6

View the glossary for more information about these and other terms used on this page.

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

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Study of Palm Beach County Transitional Employment Program - Pre-pandemic Cohort