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More Than a Job: Final Results From the Evaluation of the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) Transitional Jobs Program

NCJ Number
238357
Author(s)
Cindy Redcross; Megan Millenky; Timothy Rudd; Valerie Levshin
Date Published
January 2012
Length
166 pages
Annotation
This final report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation presents the results of the evaluation of the Center for Employment Opportunities Transitional Jobs Program.
Abstract
The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is based in New York City and is a comprehensive employment program for former prisoners. The CEO is one of four sites that participate in the Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ Demonstration and Evaluation Project. The purpose of the CEO is to provide temporary, paid jobs and other services to former prisoners in an effort to improve their chances in the labor market and prevent their return to prison. This report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) presents the results of the OPRE's evaluation of CEO's transitional jobs program. The evaluation found that CEO significantly reduced recidivism among program participants, especially in the group that enrolled in the program shortly after their release from prison. In addition, CEO's jobs program substantially increased employment early in the follow-up period, however, this increase faded over time with no difference in employment and earnings being noted between program participants and the control group. The evaluation also found that the program's effects were greater for program participants who were at higher risk of recidivism. A cost-benefit analysis of the program indicates that the benefits of the program, reducing recidivism and the subsequent costs to the criminal justice system, far outweighed the costs of the program. Policy implications are discussed. Tables, figures, and references