Program Profile: Minnesota Prison Work Release Program

This program was designed to help individuals make a successful transition from prison to the community through provision of stable housing and support to obtain employment. The program is rated Promising. Program participants had a statistically significant decrease in rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration rates, and an improvement in employment and number of hours worked. However, participants also had a statistically significant higher likelihood of revocations for technical violations.

A Promising rating implies that implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s).

Program Goals

The Minnesota Prison Work Release Program was designed to help participants make a successful transition from prison to the community through stable housing, support, and employment after their release. The specific goals of the program are to increase post-prison employment and ultimately reduce recidivism. The program is run by the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MnDOC).

Program Activities

Once individuals in prison are approved for the work-release program, they are transferred from the MnDOC facility to a county jail or a community corrections residential facility. While on work release, participants are expected to obtain steady employment or participate in approved vocational programming. Participants are randomly drug and alcohol tested. Those who are assessed as chemically dependent are required to participate in treatment programs (such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or relapse-prevention programs). Participants are also expected to use a portion of their income (an average of $7.00 per day) to pay the work-release housing costs and court-ordered restitution. Participants who have difficulty finding employment are referred to community programs that assist people in developing job-seeking skills.

Participants complete work release when they reach their original, supervised release date. They fail work release if they violate program rules, fail to follow the conditions of furloughs/passes, and/or fail to remain law abiding. Violating the conditions of work release can result in sanctions ranging from loss of privilege to revocation and return to prison.

Targeted Population

Individuals in prison are eligible to participate if they are within 8 months of being released from prison and have served at least half of their sentence. When they are within 1 year of being released to supervision, they may submit applications for work release. Due to public safety considerations, the program is geared more toward those of lower-risk. Persons convicted of sex crimes, or have a high-recidivism risk, poor prison behavior, or are predatory-type individuals are prohibited from participating in the program.

Study 1

Duwe (2015) conducted a quasi-experimental design to measure the effectiveness of the Minnesota Prison Work Release Program. The program group included 1,785 people in prison who were transferred to a county jail or community corrections residential facility to participate in the program. The comparison group comprised of general population individuals in prison who met the eligibility criteria, but did not participate in the work-release program. Although 6,841 incarcerated individuals were released from 2007 to 2010, propensity score matching resulted in 1,785 who served as the comparison group. No specific breakdown was provided on the demographic characteristics of study participants.

Follow-up data on recidivism outcomes (measured as rearrests, reconvictions, reincarcerations, and revocations for technical violations) was collected through the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Correctional Operations Management System. Cox regression models were used for the analysis of the four recidivism measures. Recidivism data was collected on participants through the end of 2012. Data on employment outcomes (measured as finding a job and total hours worked) was obtained from the Minnesota Department of Employee and Economic Development and analyzed using multiple logistic regression. No subgroup analyses were conducted.

These sources were used in the development of the program profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Noncustodial Employment Programs for Individuals with Recent Criminal Records

This practice involves job training and career development for people with a recent criminal record in order to increase employment and reduce recidivism. These programs take place outside of the traditional custodial correctional setting, after they are released. The practice is rated No Effects in reducing criminal behavior for participants in noncustodial employment training programs compared with those who did not participate.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types

Adult Reentry Programs

This practice involves correctional programs that focus on the transition of individuals from prison into the community. Reentry programs involve treatment or services that have been initiated while the individual is in custody and a follow-up component after the individual is released. The practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types

Rehabilitation Programs for Adults Convicted of a Crime

This practice includes programs that are designed to reduce recidivism among adults by improving their behaviors, skills, mental health, social functioning, and access to education and employment. They may become participants in rehabilitation programs during multiple points in their involvement with the criminal justice system. This practice is rated Promising for reducing recidivism among adults who have been convicted of an offense.

Evidence Ratings for Outcomes

Crime & Delinquency - Multiple crime/offense types

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?