Examining Vocational Rehabilitation Services Provided to Incarcerated Persons With Disabilities

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.