The Relationship Between Prison Vocational Training and the Self-Perceived Effectiveness of Ex-Offenders in the Eastern Region of Kansas: A Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors were associated with the rehabilitative success of ex-offenders (EOs) in the state of Kansas and what type of prison educational training needs to be provided to inmates before their release into the community to prepare them for employment opportunities in the state of Kansas. This study further explored why EOs lack self-effectiveness after re-entry into their community based on the quality of educational training received in the penal system. This study also examined the relationship between prison educational training of EOs in Kansas as the independent variable and their self-assessed effectiveness at their jobs as the dependent variable. The investigator surveyed a population of EOs working in the labor market in the eastern region of Kansas (Kansas City metropolitan). These EOs were working at different job classification levels of employment. The investigator developed a questionnaire for the instrument in this study and pilot-tested it. Five EOs, working in other occupations and of cultural backgrounds, acted as the pilot for the study. The investigator found the pilot helpful in shaping the research. Subsequently, 99 out of 125 recipients returned completed survey forms. This represented a 79.2% response rate. Used as computational formulas, the Pearson correlation coefficient, the Likert scale, and Cronbach’s coefficient alpha showed the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. KEYWORDS: self-effectiveness, correctional rehabilitation, correctional education, prison education, program effectiveness, prison education, prison vocational training, vocational education, prison vocational education