The Effects of Probation Stipulations on Employment Outcomes and Feelings of Employability Among Probationers in Rhode Island
Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Roughly 8,400 of the 24,000 people under the purview of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections are on active probation. These 8,400 people must regularly attend meetings with their probation officer, court appointments, drug treatment programs, mental health counseling, and various crime-specific stipulations (such as anger management groups). There is minimal evidence to suggest that mandating these stipulations reduce a probationer’s likelihood to be rearrested. There is a wealth of evidence to suggest that having a job does decrease the likelihood that a probationer will be rearrested. The effect probation stipulations have on a probationer’s employment outcomes is unknown. Also unknown is the influence that probation stipulations have on a probationer’s perceptions of their own employability (self-perceptions of ability to find and maintain a job). This study, utilizing a cross-sectional design and collecting data from Rhode Island probationers via survey (n= 170), explores existing correlations between probation stipulations, employment outcomes, and perceptions of employability. Results suggest that probation stipulations are negatively correlated with some employment outcomes and perceptions of employability and that probationers who feel supported by their probation officer have better outcomes and perceptions than those probationers who do not feel supported by their probation officer. Relationships, though significant, are not substantive, as effect sizes are minimal to moderate. Further research with a larger sample size and conducted longitudinally may better explain correlations uncovered in this research.
Author: Jesse Capece
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2884987109