Difficulties and Challenges in an Employment Supervision Program for Paroled Prisoners

Abstract

The integration of paroled prisoners in employment is presented in the theoretical and research-based literature as one of the principal means of achieving successful re-entry by the prisoners into the community. The literature deals extensively with the correlation between integration and perseverance in employment and risk indices, the most pronounced of which is a return to crime. According to the Theory of Desistance from Crime, it is not enough for criminal activity to cease; a complex process must set in motion to bring about a change in perceptions and behaviour in all walks of life, especially regarding employment. A key program being implemented by Israel's Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority is one involving an employment guidance and supervision program for paroled prisoners. The program emphasizes employment in all its facets -placement, support during the period of employment and supervision during parole -alongside psychological treatment and rehabilitation in the community. Operating the program are employment supervisors and psychotherapists. In order to understand how the program is managed and perceived by its operators, in-depth interviews were conducted with seven psychotherapists and employment counsellors in the framework of the present qualitative-interpretive research. The article describes the perceptions of the personnel responsible for running the program during the period 2018-2020. The findings of the research highlight the difficulties and limitations the prisoners face, harmony and dissonance in the encounter between supervisors and psychotherapists, the dilemma over protection of society vs. assistance to the prisoners, employment characteristics as indicative of the rehabilitation process, and the merits of the program. The article also discusses the contribution of employment supervision to successful reintegration of paroled prisoners in normative employment and society.

“There is More to It than Recidivism” – Outcome Scores among Released Prisoners who participated in Prison-Based “Employment World” Programmes

“…According to desistance-oriented rehabilitation approaches, genuine rehabilitation involves a transformation in the lives and self-perception of lawbreakers, with crime desistance representing a gradual process of change and integration into the community. Fair compensation and positive self-perceptions are pivotal in this process (Raphael 2007; Shoham and Peled-Laskov 2020). Tax-paying can also be viewed as an expression of pro-social values and normative lifestyles embraced by former prisoners.…”

“…Significant concerns include barriers and difficulties reintegrating released prisoners into the labour market. Despite the acknowledged importance of helping prisoners find employment upon release (Newton et al 2018;Sampson and Laub 1997;Uggen 1999;Uggen and Staff 2001;Visher et al 2005;Wilson 1997;Wilson et al 2000), numerous studies have highlighted a multitude of obstacles that hinder their successful reintegration into the workforce (Holzer, Raphael, and Stoll 2003;MacKenzie 2008;Newton et al 2018;Shoham and Peled-Laskov 2020). These challenges extend beyond legal restrictions, such as prohibiting individuals with criminal convictions from assuming government or public positions in many countries (Bloom 2006;Holzer et al 2003;Pager 2003).…”

“…Despite the great importance attributed to prisoners' integration into the labour market (Newton et al 2018;Sampson and Laub 1997;Uggen 1999;Uggen and Staff 2001;Visher et al 2005;Weisburd et al 2017;Wilson 1997;Wilson et al 2000), studies reveal a large number of barriers and restrictions, impeding the prisoner population's integration into the labour market following their release (Holzer et al 2003;MacKenzie 2006;Newton et al 2018;Shoham and Peled-Laskov 2020). For instance, in many countries, offenders convicted of criminal offences have been prohibited by law from assuming government or public positions (Bloom 2006;Holzer et al 2003;Pager 2003).…”

“…According to rehabilitation approaches that focus on desistance, genuine rehabilitation is a multiphase process leading to transformation in lawbreakers' lives and selfperception, with desistance being a process of change performed by lawbreakers themselves, at times with the help of experts acting on behalf of the law enforcement system (Ward and Maruna 2007). Integrating into the employment world plays a key role in this multiphase process of change in perception and conduct that affects various aspects of former prisoners' lives (Berg and Huebner 2011;Shoham and Peled-Laskov 2020;Uggen and Staff 2001). To increase released prisoners' employability and their chances of earning a legitimate living following their release from prison, correctional facilities in many Western countries offer professional training programmes of various kinds, such as educational teaching, vocational training, prison industries and employment services (Bouffard, MacKenzie, and Hickman 2000;Davis et al 2013;Lawrence et al 2002).…”

Ethnic affiliation and reentry difficulties and barriers among parolees

“…The PRA is an official government authority that operates separately from the state Prison Service, unlike many other countries that operate community supervision and accompaniment systems under the responsibility of the Correctional Authorities and usually through nonprofit organizations (NGOs). In addition, while the assistance provided to prisoners released in other countries is usually based mainly on concrete and instrumental assistance, within the framework of the Supervision Program in Israel, a great emphasis is placed on the group and individual mental health treatment (Shoham and Peled-Laskov, 2020).…”