[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12758-12760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5194]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Employment and Training Administration
Comment Request for Information Collection for the Evaluation of
the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders--Adult Program (RExO), New Collection
AGENCY: Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Labor.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (Department), as part of its
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a
preclearance consultation program to provide the general public and
Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or
continuing collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program
helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired
format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
Currently, ETA is soliciting comments concerning the collection of
data for the Evaluation of RExO. A copy of the proposed information
collection request
[[Page 12759]]
can be obtained by contacting the office listed below in the addressee
section of this notice.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee's section below on or before May 9, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Bogdan Tereshchenko, Room N-5641,
Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20210. Telephone number: 202-693-3224 (this is not a
toll-free number). Fax number: 202-693-2766. E-mail:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
More than two million people are incarcerated in Federal and State
prisons and local jails, and over 600,000 people return from prisons to
communities across the country each year. Released ex-offenders face
multiple challenges, including difficulties with finding a job and
housing and accessing social and health services, possible child
support arrears, and family troubles. A study conducted for the Bureau
of Justice Statistics showed that two-thirds of individuals released
from prison in 1994 were rearrested and half returned to prison within
three years. Recent research suggests that released offenders consider
finding employment a high priority and that higher employment and
earnings are associated with lower recidivism.
Through RExO, the Department issued grants to urban faith-based and
community organizations (FBCOs) to provide comprehensive employment-
centered services to nonviolent offenders recently released from
prison. Building on the strengths that FBCOs bring, RExO's programs
include mentoring and various supportive services and facilitate
connections with providers of housing services. Since many of the
grantees serve areas with high concentrations of returning prisoners,
one of RExO's aims is to exercise a positive influence on the
communities' broader social fabric.
Under contract with ETA, Social Policy Research Associates is
conducting a random assignment evaluation of 24 of RExO's first
generation grants. Participants at each site are randomly assigned to
either the program (60 percent) or the control (40 percent) group. The
evaluation includes:
An implementation component. This component involves
documenting the processes, used by the grantee organizations to assign
participants to either the program group, which was offered program
services, or the control group, which was not; describing the
characteristics of the program participants; examining the community
contexts of the RExO grantee programs; and identifying the differences
in the services provided to the program and control groups (the latter
could access non-RExO services) as well as variations across grantees.
By shedding light on the programmatic practices of RExO, this component
will support the interpretation of impact findings. Information for it
will come from site visits to the grantees and the program's management
information system.
An impact component. Comparing the two groups' employment-
related and recidivism outcomes will allow the research team to
estimate the impacts of RExO services for eligible ex-offenders overall
and for key subgroups. Outcome data will be obtained from telephone
surveys of members of the RExO program and control groups conducted at
12 and 36 months after random assignment.
The RExO evaluation will rely on the following information sources
for the implementation and impact components:
Unstructured in-person interviews with program staff at
each site. The research team will conduct a visit to each of the 24
grantee sites. Interviews with grantee program staff, carried out
during these visits, will yield detailed information on program
operations, administrative issues, service delivery, and promising
practices; and
12-month and 36-month participant surveys. The survey
questions will address employment and training services received from
RExO and other sources; outcomes including employment, job
characteristics (such as hourly wages, available fringe benefits, and
occupations), earnings, and recidivism; as well as health status,
receipt of public assistance, and housing. Responses to the survey will
be the main data source for estimating the program impacts.
II. Review Focus
The Department is particularly interested in comments, which:
Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting
electronic submissions of responses.
III. Current Actions
Type of Review: New collection.
Title: Evaluation of the Reintegration of Ex-Offenders--Adult
Program.
OMB Number: 1205-0NEW.
Affected Public: Individuals, Private sector, Not-for profit.
Total Annual Respondents: 4,032.
Annual Frequency: The survey will be administered twice (12 and 36
months after enrollment), and the unstructured interviews will be
conducted once.
Total Annual Responses: 4,032.
Average Time per Response: 30 minutes for the survey and 120
minutes for each interview.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,984.
Total Annual Burden Cost for Respondents: $47,280.
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Average time
Information collection activity Total Frequency per response Burden hours
respondents (min)
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Impact component:
12-month survey.................. 3,840 Once..................... 30 1,920
36-month survey.................. 3,360 Once..................... 30 1,680
Implementation component:
Unstructured interviews.......... 192 Once..................... 120 384
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Total........................ .............. ......................... .............. 3,984
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[[Page 12760]]
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Total Annual burden Average cost Annual burden
Information collection activity respondents (hours) per hour cost
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Impact component:
12-month survey............................. 3,840 1,920 $10 $19,200
36-month survey............................. 3,360 1,680 $11 $18,480
Implementation component:
Unstructured interviews..................... 192 384 $25 $9,600
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Total................................... .............. 3,984 .............. $47,280
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Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the request for the Office of Management
and Budget approval of the information collection request; they will
also become a matter of public record.
Dated: February 23, 2011.
Jane Oates,
Assistant Secretary, Employment and Training Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-5194 Filed 3-7-11; 8:45 am]
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