This presentation will discuss the latest evaluation evidence from several studies of transitional jobs programs. The results presented are drawn from a range of rigorous evaluations conducted by MDRC over the past decade, including emerging findings from the CEO Replication study, funded by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) and the federal Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as part of the Social Innovation Fund, and preliminary results from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Enhanced Transitional Jobs Demonstration (ETJD).

Over the past decade MDRC has evaluated five transitional jobs programs serving individuals returning from prison. Despite the fact that all five increased employment during the first year when people were in their transitional jobs, only one was effective at reducing recidivism, the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO).  The pattern of effects demonstrated in these transitional jobs evaluations suggested that other aspects of CEO’s program model, not just the employment itself, were contributing to the program’s impacts on recidivism.  Several hypotheses regarding the mechanisms for CEO’s effects were introduced, but not fully explored, in the earlier evaluation.

In 2011 MDRC began the CEO Replication study which was designed to assess the fidelity of its replication programs and to further explore the mechanisms for CEO’s impacts on recidivism found in the earlier evaluation.  At the same time, MDRC began the DOL ETJD project: a large scale seven site random assignment evaluation of enhanced transitional jobs programs targeting recently released offenders and non-custodial parents.  ETJD’s programs offer specific and targeted enhancements over the earlier transitional jobs programs with the goal of reducing recidivism and increasing employment.

These recent studies build in evaluation components designed to test several hypotheses about how transitional jobs programs can reduce recidivism.  One hypothesis that is being explored, based on findings from the earlier studies, is whether the CEO model — particularly its small work crews —encouraged development of positive relationships or influential experiences, which in turn, affected participants’ attitudes and behaviors, placing people on a different trajectory and deterring criminal activity.  This hypothesis is generally consistent with the criminologist’s views on reducing recidivism through cognitive behavioral mechanisms, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) programs. Behavioral programs aim to reduce recidivism by changing attitudes, improving self-control, and reducing impulsivity and aggression.

The in-depth implementation studies from MDRC’s current evaluations were designed to provide researchers and policy makers with a deeper understanding of the mechanisms through which transitional jobs employment programs can reduce recidivism. Emerging results from these studies will be presented, including findings from qualitative surveys which measured participant’s perspectives on their experience in the transitional jobs programs, supervisor and staff relationships and attitudes about work.   Similar results using information gathered from interviews and qualitative surveys of staff in the programs will be presented. In addition, preliminary analysis measuring the effects of ETJD’s enhanced transitional jobs programs on recidivism may be available for presentation.