This report addresses the Employment and Training Administration’s Beneficiary Choice model, which offered ex-offenders a choice of community-based programs to help them reintegrate into their communities. Grantees engaged in performance-based contracts with local faith-based and community organizations that acted as specialized service providers to provide a range of employment-focused services to participants. Key program components included an emphasis on participant choice, the expansion of the service delivery network, and the use of performance-based contracts.

The evaluation describes the implementation of the program, the short-term outcomes of participants, and the costs of providing services. To do so, the study draws upon site visits, management information system data collection, state-level criminal justice administrative data, and cost data collection.

Key findings:

• Combining participant choice and performance-based contracting created challenges for participating organizations, including risk and uncertainty. This was particularly true for small, inexperienced organizations. Local grantees were able to mitigate some of this risk by redefining contract benchmarks and easing documentation requirements to facilitate payments.
• About 65 percent of participants were placed in jobs, although some programs were more successful than others in helping their participants find employment. Criminal justice administrative data show that 34 percent were rearrested for a new crime in the 12 months after program enrollment, which is lower than the national rate of 44 percent.
• Despite these successes, many SSPs felt the program model did not fully capitalize on the unique set of services available at FBCOs and resulted in few participants receiving the full range of supplemental services that they needed for successful reentry and long-term avoidance of criminal involvement. As it evolved over time, the program offered relatively light-touch services over a short duration with a work-first approach.