Examining Vocational Rehabilitation Services Provided to Incarcerated Persons With Disabilities

• Author: Natasha A. Baloch,Wesley G. Jennings
• Published date: 01 April 2021
• Date: 01 April 2021
• DOI: 10.1177/0887403420913621
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403420913621

Criminal Justice Policy Review

2021, Vol. 32(3) 268 –283

© The Author(s) 2020

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/0887403420913621

journals.sagepub.com/home/cjp

Article

Examining Vocational

Rehabilitation Services

Provided to Incarcerated

Persons With Disabilities

Natasha A. Baloch1 and Wesley G. Jennings2

Abstract

In the U.S. prison system, incarcerated persons with a disability represent a

largely marginalized population with limited or inadequate provision of services in

prison. In general, once released, ex-offenders face a number of challenges when

they reenter society ranging from access to housing, employment, health care, and

substance use services. These challenges are generally exacerbated for incarcerated

persons with a disability. Overall, there is a dearth of research on rates of vocational

services utilization among incarcerated persons with a disability. Using data from

the Rehabilitation Services Administration for 30,170 inmates, the results indicate

that inmates with cognitive and physical disabilities have the lowest utilization of

vocational services overall and across all types of services (educational, job, disability,

and other). Furthermore, vocational service utilization varies based on the nature

of the disability suggesting distinct programming needs for each group. Implications

for access to vocational rehabilitation services and current reentry programming for

incarcerated persons with a disability are discussed.

Keywords

vocational rehabilitation, prison reentry, disabilities, employment, corrections, mental

illnesses, physical health

1University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

2The University of Mississippi, University Park, USA

Corresponding Author:

Natasha A. Baloch, Department of Criminology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Avenue,

SOC 107, Tampa, FL 33620-9951, USA.

Email: nbaloch@usf.edu

913621CJPXXX10.1177/0887403420913621Criminal Justice Policy ReviewBaloch and Jennings

research-article2020

Baloch and Jennings 269

Introduction

Incarcerated persons with a disability are a largely marginalized population in the U.S.

prison system. They face a number of additional barriers postrelease compared with an

incarcerated person without a disability often due to lack of resources to meet specific

needs of persons with disabilities for rehabilitation and employment. Yet, not much is

known about accessibility rates of vocational services provided to incarcerated per-

sons with a physical or mental disability who are eligible to receive services. A dispro-

portionate amount of the prison population is noted to have some type of mental illness

(Baillargeon et.al., 2009; Fazel et al., 2016; Prins, 2014). These numbers are over-

whelmingly large compared with the presence of mental illnesses in the general popu-

lation. In the United States alone, over 50% of the prison population has some type of

mental illness compared with only 11% of the general population (Daniel, 2007).

Similarly, incarcerated persons with an intellectual disability range from 4% to 10%

compared with only 2% to 3% in the general population (Petersilia, 2000). Among

other types of psychosocial disorders, substance use-related and antisocial disorders

including depressive and personality disorders are the most prevalent (El Sayed et al.,

2016; Fazel et al., 2016; Freudenberg, 2001; Goncalves et al., 2019; Prins, 2014). For

serious mental illnesses, reported estimates range between 6% and 15% for U.S. jails,

and 10% and 15% for U.S. state prisons (Lamb & Weinberger, 1998). Furthermore,

these disorders are often accompanied with other chronic physical health conditions

(Grosholz & Semenza, 2018; National Commission on Correctional Health Care,

2008; Wilper et al., 2009). In terms of the prevalence of physical disabilities, it has

been noted that approximately 26% of inmates reported a hearing, visual, or mobility

disability (American Civil Liberties Union, 2019).

Despite this overrepresentation of disabilities among U.S. inmates, there is a lack

of research examining vocational rehabilitation services provided to this population

(Harley, 1996). Moreover, given that each type of disability may present different

challenges for a person with disability, it is important to examine the variation in pro-

vision and utilization of various types of services among different disability and demo-

graphic groups to better understand and serve the needs of this underserved group.

Vocational rehabilitation is a federal-state program to help find, sustain, and

improve employment outcomes for individuals with a mental or physical disability.

Vocational rehabilitation can play an important role in finding and providing train-

ing to sustain meaningful employment for individuals with a disability helping them

achieve financial independence. Vocational rehabilitation generally provides a range

of services including medical and psychological assessment, vocational evaluation,

vocational training after high school, on the job training, supported employment,

and time-limited medical and psychological treatment based on individual disability

needs (Florida Department of Education, 2019). Considering the fact that a large

number of challenges faced by inmates postrelease are often related to financial

challenges including affording housing, pay bills, and sustain a living, meaningful

employment can play a significant role in making them more independent and pre-

vent recidivism (Hong et al., 2014). Inmates are generally referred to the vocational