Effects of prison work programmes on the employability of ex-prisoners
| Author | Fernando Esteban,Ramon Alós,Fausto Miguélez,Pere Jódar |
| Published date | 01 January 2015 |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/1477370814538776 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
European Journal of Criminology
2015, Vol. 12(1) 35 –50
© The Author(s) 2014
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/1477370814538776
euc.sagepub.com
Effects of prison work
programmes on the
employability of
ex-prisoners
Ramon Alós
Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Fernando Esteban
University of Valencia, Spain
Pere Jódar
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
Fausto Miguélez
Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a study that links information from the prison system with
information from the Spanish Social Security System in order to study the employability of former
inmates of prisons in Catalonia, Spain. Few studies of this type have been carried out in the world
and this is the first in Spain. The results show that 43.6 percent of ex-prisoners find a job after
serving their sentence, but their integration in the labour market tends to be fragile, confirming
that it is a very vulnerable group. It was also found that prison work has a favourable effect on
employability and that vocational training has a lesser or no effect.
Keywords
Desistance, employability, jail, prison work, prisoners, Spain
Corresponding author:
Fernando Esteban, University of Valencia, 4b Tarongers Avenue, Valencia, 46021, Spain.
Email: fernando.esteban@uv.es
538776EUC0010.1177/1477370814538776European Journal of CriminologyAlós et al.
research-article2014
Article
36 European Journal of Criminology 12(1)
Introduction
Desistance from crime by prisoners when they have completed their sentence is a major
concern for society and has therefore been the subject of many studies. Research on the
integration of prisoners in the labour market as a consequence of programmes aimed at
increasing their employability is limited by the fact that experimental designs are often
not feasible (Wilson et al., 2000). In the present study, the first of its kind carried out in
Spain, we approached this subject by matching different databases providing informa-
tion on the working life of former prisoners.
Our results suggest that work in prisons gives prisoners a greater chance of finding a
job, while ensuring order in prisons and providing prisoners with emotional stability.
Vocational training has a lesser or no effect, perhaps because it fails to meet the needs of
the labour market.
A review of the literature leads us to our working hypotheses. We then describe the
study population, explain the research methodology and present the results. We end with
a few conclusions and recommendations.
Literature review and working hypotheses
Criminological theory is confronted with traditional dilemmas in social theory, the most
important of which is perhaps the tension between structure and subject or agency. In
criminology there is a long tradition of studies focusing on the individual, beginning with
Lombroso, the father of modern criminology (Lilly et al., 2007). These studies have
underscored the idea that ‘nothing works’ (Martinson, 1974) as regards rehabilitative and
treatment programmes in correctional facilities (Travis, 2005) or ‘prison works’ from the
viewpoint of rational choice (Bottoms et al., 2004; Nelken, 2009),
Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) propose a concept of control that they see as a perma-
nent inner state rather than a social product: crimes are the response to opportunities
available to people with little self-control. Hence, delinquency, which later gravitates
towards more serious criminal behaviour, appears in young people alongside the many
aspects of their life that are out of control (alcohol, drugs, sex, etc.).
Sampson and Laub (1995) highlight the importance of life course, and in particular
the transition to adulthood, in the individual offender’s behaviour. After observing the
continuity of human behaviour over time, these authors state that certain social controls
can be a turning point. They stress the importance of the quality of social ties: adults
refrain from criminal behaviour according to the social capital invested in their family
and at work. Specifically in relation to work, good relations between employer and
employee (obligations, expectations and interdependence) facilitate the development of
social control (Sampson and Laub, 1995).
More recent studies (for example, Bottoms et al., 2004; Kivivuori and Linderborg,
2010; LeBel et al., 2008; Wikström and Treiber, 2007) observe that there has been some
convergence in the debate on structure and agency. An explanatory model should thus
combine subjective factors of propensity to crime with structural factors, paying atten-
tion to the quality of the social bonds (Sampson and Laub, 1995). Prison work pro-
grammes aimed at encouraging inmates to acquire work habits, work experience and the
motivation to desist from crime should be approached from this perspective.
To continue reading
Request your trial