Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-187).

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 148-159). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 181-187).

Thesis (M.A.)--Duquesne University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Abstract included in electronic submission form. Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-46) and index.

xi, 87 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / The purpose of this dissertation study was to adapt, deliver, and experimentally test the effectiveness of a research-based, employment-focused group counseling intervention (OPTIONS) that was designed to improve male inmates' ability to secure employment upon release from prison. The intervention curriculum and study were modeled after similar interventions with battered (Chronister & McWhirter, 2006) and incarcerated women (Chartrand & Rose, 1996). The OPTIONS program was grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994, 2000) and comprised of all critical intervention components identified as contributing to positive career intervention outcomes (Brown & Krane, 2000). In addition, the OPTIONS intervention consisted of 5 weekly group sessions, which lasted 120 minutes, and each group was comprised of 6-7 male inmates. The intervention focused on various aspects of the job preparation process such as identifying necessary skills, obtaining information about different types of jobs, practicing for job interviews, and learning how to utilize social support. Study participants included 77 (n = 38 treatment, n = 39 control) adult male inmates housed at the Oregon Department of Corrections medium security release facility, the Oregon State Correctional Institute (OSCI) in Salem, OR. This study utilized a randomized block design, with between subjects and within subjects measurements at pretest, posttest, and one month follow-up. Participants were blocked based upon age and release date, and then randomly assigned to a wait-list treatment as usual control group or the OPTIONS treatment intervention group. Outcomes measured were job search self-efficacy (Career Search Self-Efficacy Scale, Solberg, Good, & Nord, 1994), perceived problem solving ability (Problem Solving Inventory, Heppner, 1988), and hopefulness (Hope Scale, Snyder et al., 1991). Data were analyzed using 2 (experimental group) x 2 (time) analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Results indicated that participants in the OPTIONS treatment intervention had higher career-search self-efficacy, problem solving, and hopefulness scores at posttest and follow-up than participants in the treatment as usual control group. This dissertation study was the first time a manualized, theory based employment preparation treatment intervention was adapted specifically for inmates preparing to release back to the community. / Committee in charge: Linda Forrest, Chairperson, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Krista Chronister, Member, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Deanne Unruh, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Robert 0 Brien, Outside Member, Sociology

Building on prior work on status-based rejection sensitivity, I propose a social-cognitive model of criminal-status-based rejection sensitivity (RS-criminal record) to account for differences in how people perceive and respond to threats of rejection based on their criminal histories. Study 1 develops a measure of criminal-status-based rejection sensitivity, defined as a tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and negatively react to rejection based on one’s criminal status. Study 2 tests the predictions of the RS-criminal record model that anxious expectations of criminal-status-based rejection are associated with heightened perceptions of criminal-status-based rejection threat and responding to criminal-status-based stressors through self-silencing and anger. Together, Studies 1 and 2 show that RS-criminal record is distinct from general interpersonal rejection sensitivity (RS-personal), race-based rejection sensitivity (RS-race), and other relevant stigma constructs. Study 3 tests the predictions of the RS-criminal record model experimentally, establishing evidence of the negative effects of criminal record disclosure, RS-criminal record, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on interpersonal effectiveness in an interview (as assessed by an interaction partner and outside observers) and subsequent affective states. The three studies also test the prediction, based on the dynamics of our model and evidence from focus groups, that higher levels of RS-criminal record should predict greater PTSD symptom severity. Together, these studies provide evidence of the utility of RS-criminal record to illuminate the psychological and structural pathways through which stigma can undermine the task of social integration after being released from prison.

This dissertation examines entrepreneurship as a way to overcome labor market discrimination. Specifically, the three empirical essays of this dissertation introduce and evaluate entrepreneurship as a career choice for the formerly incarcerated population in the United States, by studying the antecedents and economic and social impacts of entrepreneurship for formerly incarcerated individuals. The first essay examines whether entrepreneurship is a response to labor market discrimination for formerly incarcerated individuals and establishes entrepreneurship as a route to achieve economic and social reintegration. I take advantage of a quasi-experimental setting using the staggered implementation of the “Ban-the-Box” policy in the United States to disentangle the underlying mechanism of how labor market discrimination affects formerly incarcerated individuals in their entrepreneurial choices. The findings suggest that formerly incarcerated individuals, especially those who are African American, are pushed into entrepreneurship due to the discrimination they face from employers. Yet, I also find that entrepreneurship is a viable alternative career choice for formerly incarcerated people, yielding higher income and lower recidivism rates. The second essay investigates the long-term impacts of entrepreneurship on subsequent employment outcomes for the formerly incarcerated population. This essay argues that entrepreneurship will benefit formerly incarcerated entrepreneurs in subsequent employment outcomes, because entrepreneurship provides a positive signal of commitment and fit to potential employers. Results suggest that, compared to formerly incarcerated individuals without any entrepreneurial experience, those with entrepreneurial experience have an increased likelihood of securing employment, regardless of actual entrepreneurial success. This is particularly true for formerly incarcerated individuals who are high school dropouts or racial, suggesting that entrepreneurship provides long-term benefits to those who are especially lacking in other positive credentials and, thus, are the most stigmatized by employers. The third essay studies the entrepreneurial barriers that formerly incarcerated individuals face in starting their businesses and the implications of such barriers on entrepreneurial outcomes. I find that formerly incarcerated individuals are far less likely to gain access to capital from financial institutions or the government compared to similar non formerly incarcerated individuals, having to rely on personal savings or capital from family and friends. This barrier to gaining resources from financial institutions is more pronounced for African American or Hispanic formerly incarcerated individuals. Furthermore, I find that such barriers to entrepreneurship negatively impact the ventures that formerly incarcerated individuals found regarding the industry, longevity, size, and legal form. These findings provide implications to understanding how such barriers to entrepreneurship can inhibit the role of entrepreneurship as an alternative pathway for discriminated individuals to achieve upward mobility and integration.

Recidivism rates among ex-offender populations have consistently remained high. With over 600,000 ex-offenders being released from prison each year, reducing the rate of recidivism among the ex-offender class has become a highly debated issue. Ensuring ex-offenders successfully reintegrate into the community post-incarceration may help to reduce recidivism rates. Through a qualitative thematic analysis, this study examined various policies and program that may impact recidivism rates among ex-offenders. The policies and programs reviewed in this study were categorized among six main themes which were identified in prior literature as the most crucial elements needed for successful reintegration. The findings indicate that while many policy changes have been made to positively impact ex-offender reintegration by allowing initial access to services post-release from prison, more should be done to ensure ex-offenders actually receive needed services.

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