1. Get Out and Stay Out! Inmates’ Perceptions of the
Effectiveness of Occupational Programming in a County Jail
Amy Adkins, S/OT, Aaron Albrecht, S/OT, Laura Bair, S/OT, Kelly Fritz, S/OT, Cara Gilson, S/OT, Stacey Lynn, S/OT, Chris Myers, S/OT & LaToya Speck, S/OT
Research Advisors: Mary Beth Dillon, OTD, MOT, OTR/L and Tara Griffiths, Dr OT, OTR/L
University of Findlay, Occupational Therapy
INTERVENTIONS
Occupational therapy groups currently being
implemented at the Hancock County Justice
Center are offered five times a week for five
weeks. Programming includes the following five
modules:
1. Interpersonal communication: This module
focuses on improving interpersonal skills in
order to cope with everyday challenges and
decision-making. The objectives outlined in the
module lead to increased abilities with
interpersonal communication.
2. Employment: The objectives for the
employment module include developing
personal goals for what the participant would
like to learn, demonstrating skills for basic job
seeking, demonstrating competency in
completing a job application, understanding
proper attire to wear for an interview, and
interview skills.
3. Financial management: During the financial
management module, the inmates will create
personal goals, develop basic budgeting
principles, demonstrate the ability to balance a
checkbook, describe legal solutions to resolving
financial obstacles, and develop money saving
techniques.
4. Leisure: Goals for the leisure model include
identifying, exploring, and participating in healthy
leisure pursuits.
5. Community connections: Through the
community connection module, inmates will
improve awareness of available community
resources and begin establishing a plan to
secure and use these resources upon release.
SUMMARY
Currently, occupational therapy
programming is being offered at the
Hancock County Jail. To date, this ongoing
research has yielded positive results in
equipping inmates with necessary skills for
community reentry. These positive results
have impacted multiples areas of
occupational therapy aspects, such as
educational programming, employment, life
skills, and vocational programming. This
study suggests that inmates receive positive
life skills from therapy. However, even
though life skills were not demonstrated on
the surveys, it was found that inmates had
improved in self-awareness as well as
reflection skills via qualitative survey results.
Additionally, findings indicate a need for
expansion of OT services outside of the jail
setting for the inmates that are released
back into the community. Establishing such
services would allow for an increased
understanding of what skills and supports
inmates require to maintain a positive role
within society. The impact of OT in reducing
recidivism is yet to be discovered; however,
it is hoped that the holistic approach of OT
will have a positive effect on the successful
reintegration of ex-offenders into
society. Being emphasized is how OT
programming in a jail setting provides
inmates with the necessary life skills for
successful community reentry.
REFERENCES
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2006). The road to the centennial vision.
Retrieved from http://www.aota.org/News/Centennial.aspx
Butz, N. (2010). Foreseen role for occupational therapy rehabilitation in correctional
facilities. Emerging Practice. Retrieved from
http://commons.pacificu.edu/emerge/1
Wikoff, N., Linhorst, D.M., & Morani, N. (2012). Recidivism among participants of a
reentry program for prisoners released without supervision. National
Association of Social Workers, 36, 289-299.
OUTCOMESABSTRACT
The movement to expand community-based
practice continues to be prominent as the
occupational therapy (OT) profession moves
toward the Centennial Vision (AOTA, 2006). In
order to meet this demand, The University of
Findlay OT program developed and
implemented programming at the Hancock
County Justice Center (HCJC), specifically
designed to assist inmates in acquiring the skills
necessary for successful community
reintegration. The following research will
highlight OT programming in a jail setting and
how it impacts successful community re-entry
from the perspective of jail inmates. The need
for expanding OT services for ex-offenders
within the community will also be explored.
INTRODUCTION
The prison population in the United States grew
by 475% between 1980 and 2008 (Wikoff et al.,
2012). Additionally, the increasing number of
inmates returning to society without the needed
skills or supports has impacted recidivism rates
(Butz, 2010). In fact, the United States jail and
prison systems are constantly struggling with the
increasing numbers of inmates, high recidivism
rates, and pressure for budget cuts. Therefore, it
is imperative to combat this issue through the
development of effective programming that
provides inmates with the necessary skills and
supports to be productive members of society,
thereby reducing the recidivism rate. Overall,
this research project seeks to determine if OT
programming equips inmates with the necessary
life skills for successful community re-entry, as
perceived by the county jail inmate population.
Occupational Therapy Program
The descriptive analysis of the qualitative and
quantitative pre and post survey questions, yields
results indicating positive outcomes for
interpersonal, financial, leisure,
employment/education, and community connections
modules. Listed below are main findings for each
module based on the inmates who participated:
Introduction/Interpersonal
•100% of inmates determined they feel confident
that they can introduce themselves to future
employers
•Post-survey reveals 100% of the inmates’ self-
confidence increased at least one standard
deviation after module was completed
•100% of inmates identified having a family related
role and determined this was very important to them
•50% of inmates also identified having a career role
and this was very important to them
Financial
•80% identified the importance in having a budget
•100% identified budgeting and keeping a checking
or savings account as a way to save money
•100% felt comfortable making a budget after
participating in the model
Leisure
•100% able to identify what motivates to participate
in healthy leisure activity.
•Pre-surveys revealed 57% of inmates identified
“jail” as a barrier to healthy leisure activity as
compared to only 33% in post-surveys
•Motivation in pre-survey questions reports 29%
extrinsic factors and 71% intrinsic
•Post-survey inmates reported 50% intrinsic factors
and 50% extrinsic
Education/Employment
•100% of inmates were able to identify 2 or more
skills for interviewing AND identify 3 educational or
employment resources in the post-survey
•75% of inmates felt confident in their ability to
obtain employment in post-survey
Community connections
•100% of inmates identified two additional
community supports after attending the module
STUDY DESIGNThis descriptive mix methods study approach
focuses on determining if OT prepares inmates
with the necessary life skills for successful
community reintegration. Pre and post-release
surveys were used to collect data on inmates’
perception of knowledge and skills gained
through OT jail programming. Both qualitative
and quantitative data were gathered through
the use of Likert-scale and open-ended
questions. Inclusion criteria included: U.S. male
citizens 18 years or older, residents of
surrounding counties or Hancock County, and
successful community reintegration post
release. Those who reoffended were removed
from the study. Participants were required to
sign an informed consent form.
(hancocksheriff.org, 2011)