Date of Award

Spring 3-1-2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

With a strong focus on reducing California's high recidivism rates, Assembly Bill 109 encourages to consider alternatives to incarceration and to adopt evidence-based practices. As a result of the legislation, non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual offenders being released from state prisons now face difficult challenges in securing housing and employment. Vocational rehabilitation programs can be helpful in a way to mitigate these problems to allow those who were formerly incarcerated to concentrate on adjusting to life after prison. The review of scholarly publications and practitioner studies include the (1) definition of vocational rehabilitation (VR); a brief background and history of VR, (3) the benefits and challenges of VR; (4) brief background of Assembly Bill 109 and its impact to VR; and (5) theories regarding motivating behaviors associated with committing crimes. Mixed methods were used in this study to collect quantitative data from 85 formerly incarcerated adults and qualitative data from 8 key informants, which included top management to line staff. Data collected in this research will further examine the effectiveness of San Mateo County's Vocational Rehabilitation Services and hope to serve as an evidence-based model for other counties in helping formerly incarcerated adults reintegrate back into society.

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