Criminal Behavior
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal is to conduct a feasibility effectiveness RCT of Virtual Interview Training (VIT) by comparing employment and recidivism outcomes of offenders (25 years and older) receiving vocational services as usual (SAU) plus VIT (SAU+VIT) with the outcomes of offenders receiving only services as usual (SAU-only). The plan calls for participants to include offenders who are at moderate to high risk for reoffending (with an emphasis on violent-crime reoffending) who are currently enrolled in a Vocational Village Prison Setting with the Michigan Department of Corrections.
Detailed description
More than 600,000 ex-offenders re-enter the community from prison each year and 50% of them recidivate within 12 months of release. Employment significantly reduces the risk of recidivism for ex-offenders, and as such, is a critical target for intervention. However, evidence-based employment services are rarely delivered in prisons. Moreover, employment services that are available do not include evidence-based job interview training. Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT) is an evidence-based tool that was developed and evaluated with funding from the National Institute of Mental Health. However, VR-JIT has a feature to practice discussing a prior conviction during a job interview that has not yet been evaluated. Given that an ex-offender's job interview outcome may depend on discussing their prior conviction, we are partnering with the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) to evaluate if delivering VR-JIT within their Vocational Village program can improve employment and reduce recidivism among offenders after their release from prison. Thus, there are two goals for this pilot study. We will evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of whether VR-JIT added to Vocational Village services-as-usual improves outcomes (interview skills, employment, recidivism) for offenders after their release from prison (at a 6-month follow-up visit). These preliminary data will support a proposal to a federal agency for a fully-powered randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-JIT with prison settings.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVirtual Reality Job Interview Training
Participants will engage in training related to preforming well during a job interview as well as repeated job interview practice with a virtual hiring manager. Participants will receive feedback and tips on improving skills throughout training.
BEHAVIORALServices as usual
Study participants will be receiving Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training.
Sponsors
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
University of Michigan
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
25 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* 25 years or older * Identified as at moderate to high risk for reoffending with violent crimes (determined at the time of enrollment in the Vocational Village via the COMPAS Risk Assessment Classification Instrument \[60\]) * Within three months of their earliest release date * Actively enrolled in a Vocational Village * Have at least a 6th grade reading comprehension
Exclusion criteria
* Has uncorrected hearing or visual problem that prevents him or her from using the training * Has a medical illness that compromises their cognition (for example, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire | 6 Month & 12 month follow up after villagers are released. | Employment rate will be measured by participant self-report using a questionnaire. |
| Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS) | Pretest (Baseline) and Posttest (approximately 6 weeks after Baseline) | Interviewing skills were measured using a role-play measure in which subjects act out two job interview scenarios with trained actors. Interviews were video recorded and scored. An average of the two scenarios at baseline was used to create a single pretest score and an average of the two scenarios at posttest was used to create a single posttest score. The method of assessment is the job interview skills rating scale as measured by the Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS). Possible scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating better interview skills. |
| Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire | 6 Month and 12 months after Villager Release Date | Recidivism status will be collected via follow up self-report survey with a questions asking if they have been re-arrested (yes/no). The recidivism self-report data will be validated by administrative data collected from MDOC. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Services as Usual Study participants will be receiving their Vocational Village services as usual that may include but not limited to vocational skill training, and social skill training.
Services as usual: Study participants will be receiving Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training. | 16 |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training In addition to the services as usual, participants will participate in Virtual Reality Job Interview Training.
Virtual Reality Job Interview Training: Participants will engage in training related to preforming well during a job interview as well as repeated job interview practice with a virtual hiring manager. Participants will receive feedback and tips on improving skills throughout training.
Services as usual: Study participants will be receiving Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training. | 28 |
| Total | 44 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Services as Usual | Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 39.1 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 8.9 | 38.1 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.1 | 38.5 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 7.1 |
| Criminal Justice History: Arrest Count | 8.3 count STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.4 | 8 count STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.9 | 8.1 count STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.8 |
| Criminal Justice History: Total Years in Prison/Jail | 8.8 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.6 | 6.3 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.2 | 7.2 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 5.2 |
| Current Grade Associate's degree | 0 Participants | 2 Participants | 2 Participants |
| Current Grade High school graduate/GED equivalent | 7 Participants | 13 Participants | 20 Participants |
| Current Grade Some college | 5 Participants | 4 Participants | 9 Participants |
| Current Grade Technical school graduate | 4 Participants | 9 Participants | 13 Participants |
| Prior Employment | 15 Participants | 27 Participants | 42 Participants |
| Psychological Distress - DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure - Adult | 3.7 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.1 | 2.1 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.3 | 2.7 units on a scale STANDARD_DEVIATION 4.5 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Black/African American | 9 Participants | 13 Participants | 22 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized LatinX | 0 Participants | 2 Participants | 2 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized More than one race | 1 Participants | 0 Participants | 1 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 6 Participants | 13 Participants | 19 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 16 participants | 28 participants | 44 participants |
| Risk for Non-Violent Reoffense High | 9 Participants | 15 Participants | 24 Participants |
| Risk for Non-Violent Reoffense Medium | 7 Participants | 13 Participants | 20 Participants |
| Risk for Violent Reoffense High | 8 Participants | 11 Participants | 19 Participants |
| Risk for Violent Reoffense Medium | 8 Participants | 17 Participants | 25 Participants |
| Self-reported Mental Health Disorders Anxiety disorder | 4 Participants | 2 Participants | 6 Participants |
| Self-reported Mental Health Disorders Bipolar disorder | 3 Participants | 2 Participants | 5 Participants |
| Self-reported Mental Health Disorders Depressive disorder | 4 Participants | 5 Participants | 9 Participants |
| Self-reported Mental Health Disorders Posttraumatic stress disorder | 2 Participants | 2 Participants | 4 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 0 Participants | 0 Participants | 0 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 16 Participants | 28 Participants | 44 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 16 | 0 / 28 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 16 | 0 / 28 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 16 | 0 / 28 |
Outcome results
Primary
Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire
Employment rate will be measured by participant self-report using a questionnaire.
Time frame: 6 Month & 12 month follow up after villagers are released.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services as Usual | Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire | 6-Month Employment | 11 Participants |
| Services as Usual | Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire | 12-Month Employment | 14 Participants |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire | 6-Month Employment | 23 Participants |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Employment as Measured in Outcome Questionnaire | 12-Month Employment | 24 Participants |
Comparison: 6-Month Employmentp-value: 0.15Chi-squared
Comparison: 6-Month Employmentp-value: 0.001Regression, Logistic
Comparison: 12-Month Employmentp-value: 0.87Chi-squared
Primary
Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS)
Interviewing skills were measured using a role-play measure in which subjects act out two job interview scenarios with trained actors. Interviews were video recorded and scored. An average of the two scenarios at baseline was used to create a single pretest score and an average of the two scenarios at posttest was used to create a single posttest score. The method of assessment is the job interview skills rating scale as measured by the Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS). Possible scores range from 8 to 40, with higher scores indicating better interview skills.
Time frame: Pretest (Baseline) and Posttest (approximately 6 weeks after Baseline)
Population: Those not included in analysis were for the following reasons: missing post-test data (n=11), inaudible study data (n=2), administratively withdrawn due self-disclosed anxiety about failing to be released from prison (n=1). n=6 excluded from SAU and n=8 excluded from SAU+VR-JIT.
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services as Usual | Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS) | Pretest score | 31.8 score on a scale | Standard Error 2.3 |
| Services as Usual | Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS) | Posttest score | 31.6 score on a scale | Standard Error 1.7 |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS) | Pretest score | 29.9 score on a scale | Standard Error 1.5 |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Job Interview Skills From Mock Interview Rating Scale (MIRS) | Posttest score | 33.2 score on a scale | Standard Error 1.1 |
p-value: 0.04ANCOVA
Primary
Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire
Recidivism status will be collected via follow up self-report survey with a questions asking if they have been re-arrested (yes/no). The recidivism self-report data will be validated by administrative data collected from MDOC.
Time frame: 6 Month and 12 months after Villager Release Date
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Services as Usual | Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire | Number of Participants Re-Arrested within 6-Months after their Release Date | 1 Participants |
| Services as Usual | Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire | Number of Participants Re-Arrested within 12-Months after their Release Date | 1 Participants |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire | Number of Participants Re-Arrested within 6-Months after their Release Date | 0 Participants |
| Services as Usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training | Number of Participants on With at Least 1 Yes Answer to Recidivism Self-Report Questionnaire | Number of Participants Re-Arrested within 12-Months after their Release Date | 0 Participants |
Comparison: 12-Month Recidivism Analysisp-value: 0.056Chi-squared
Comparison: 6-Month Recidivism Analysisp-value: 0.18Chi-squared