About the Report

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In July 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) created the Beneficiary Choice Program, a demonstration to help ex-offenders successfully enter and remain in the workforce and stay free of crime. DOL awarded five grantees a total of $10 million through two rounds of grants to serve approximately 450 participants each. To be eligible to receive services, ex-offenders had to be between the ages of 18 and 29, within 60 days after release of incarceration, and convicted of a federal or state crime. DOL contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to evaluate how the program unfolded over time. The report presents the findings of this evaluation. This report details the implementation of the program, the short-term employment and recidivism outcomes of participants, and the costs of providing services.

Research Questions

• How do grantees plan for, implement, and operate the program?
• How do grantees ensure that participants have a true and independent choice of providers?
• How does performance-based contracting influence implementation?
• What are the characteristics of participants and what services do they receive?
• What are the employment outcomes and recidivism rates of participants?
• What are the costs of the program?

Key Takeaways

• The Beneficiary Choice program tested a new model for administering reentry services to ex-offenders. Combining participant choice and performance-based contracting created challenges for participating organizations, including risk and uncertainty.
• 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 of participants were rearrested for a new crime in the 12 months after program enrollment, which is lower than the national rate of 44 percent.
• Despite successes, many specialized service providers (SSPs) felt the program model did not fully capitalize on the unique set of services available at faith-based and community organizations (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.

Research Gaps

• It was beyond the scope of this study to determine the impact of the program on participants’ long-term outcomes and reentry success. (page xx)

Citation

Bellotti, J., Derr, M., Berk, J., Paxton, N. (2011). Mathematica. Examining a New Model for Prisoner Re-Entry Services: The Evaluation Of Beneficiary Choice - Final Report. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.