Department

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Dept. of Psychology

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world resulting in one in three Americans having a criminal record (ACLU, 2017). Upon release from prison, securing employment is one of the most important factors to decrease recidivism (Berg & Huebner, 2011; Lundquist et al., 2018). Despite this, 75% of those who were incarcerated are unemployed a year after release. This is due, in part, to stigma and the wide use of background checks during the hiring process (ACLU, 2017). The research literature primarily focuses on effective ways to improve job-readiness for those who are incarcerated, barriers to employment for justice-involved individuals (JII), and other risk factors and mental health issues related to incarceration (Griffith et al., 2019). Few studies have investigated what happens once a JII gains employment. We will test the claim made by the American Civil Liberties Union (2017) that, if given a second chance, JIIs will make loyal and hardworking employees. To do this, we will measure two important and well-understood job attitudes with a survey: turnover intentions and organizational commitment. We will then conduct a t-test (and follow-up ANCOVA if necessary) to compare justice-involved employees to other employees to see if there are any differences in these attitudes. To recruit participants, we will establish partnerships with businesses who have a reputation for employing this population and city officials who work with this population. Our hypotheses are the following: (H1) Organizational commitment and turnover intentions will have a significant negative relationship. Individuals with a criminal background will be motivated by their stigmatized identity to be more committed to their organization while simultaneously perceiving fewer alternative job opportunities. (H2) JIIs will have a significant difference in organizational commitment and turnover intentions compared to other employees. (H2a) Organizational commitment will be greater in JIIs than in other employees. (H2b) JIIs will have lower turnover intentions than other employees. (H3) Criminal background will moderate the relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intentions, such that JIIs will have a stronger relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intentions. In addition to these hypotheses, we will explore possible differences in commitment mindsets and utilize open-ended questions to learn more about the job attitudes and work-related experiences of JIIs. We hope our findings will help improve job prospects for JIIs by reducing the stigma of employing these individuals. These findings may help managers better support JIIs in the workplace as well.

Date

11-9-2024

Subject

Industrial and organizational psychology

Document Type

posters

Language

English

Rights

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Investigating job attitudes of justice-involved individuals

The US has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world resulting in one in three Americans having a criminal record (ACLU, 2017). Upon release from prison, securing employment is one of the most important factors to decrease recidivism (Berg & Huebner, 2011; Lundquist et al., 2018). Despite this, 75% of those who were incarcerated are unemployed a year after release. This is due, in part, to stigma and the wide use of background checks during the hiring process (ACLU, 2017). The research literature primarily focuses on effective ways to improve job-readiness for those who are incarcerated, barriers to employment for justice-involved individuals (JII), and other risk factors and mental health issues related to incarceration (Griffith et al., 2019). Few studies have investigated what happens once a JII gains employment. We will test the claim made by the American Civil Liberties Union (2017) that, if given a second chance, JIIs will make loyal and hardworking employees. To do this, we will measure two important and well-understood job attitudes with a survey: turnover intentions and organizational commitment. We will then conduct a t-test (and follow-up ANCOVA if necessary) to compare justice-involved employees to other employees to see if there are any differences in these attitudes. To recruit participants, we will establish partnerships with businesses who have a reputation for employing this population and city officials who work with this population. Our hypotheses are the following: (H1) Organizational commitment and turnover intentions will have a significant negative relationship. Individuals with a criminal background will be motivated by their stigmatized identity to be more committed to their organization while simultaneously perceiving fewer alternative job opportunities. (H2) JIIs will have a significant difference in organizational commitment and turnover intentions compared to other employees. (H2a) Organizational commitment will be greater in JIIs than in other employees. (H2b) JIIs will have lower turnover intentions than other employees. (H3) Criminal background will moderate the relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intentions, such that JIIs will have a stronger relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intentions. In addition to these hypotheses, we will explore possible differences in commitment mindsets and utilize open-ended questions to learn more about the job attitudes and work-related experiences of JIIs. We hope our findings will help improve job prospects for JIIs by reducing the stigma of employing these individuals. These findings may help managers better support JIIs in the workplace as well.