Improving Employment and Reducing Recidivism Among Prison Offenders Via Virtual Interview Training Tool

NCT03937128 | Completed DMC

• 2 other identifiers: HUM00155161AWD011726
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 101
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal is to conduct a confirmatory effectiveness RCT (and an implementation evaluation) of Virtual Interview Training (VIT) by comparing employment and recidivism outcomes of offenders receiving vocational services as usual (SAU) plus VIT (SAU+VIT) with the outcomes of offenders receiving only services as usual (SAU-only). The plan calls for participants to include offenders who are at moderate to high risk for reoffending (with an emphasis on violent-crime reoffending) who are currently enrolled in a Vocational Village.

Conditions

Criminal Behavior

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (6)

• Employment as measured in Outcome Questionnaire

  Employment rate will be measured by participant self-report using a questionnaire. The questionnaire will include information about their job status (unemployed, employed); if they completed any job interviews (yes/no) and how many interviews they completed, if they received a job offer (yes/no), and information about jobs they may have had since their release date (employer name, job type, average hours worked, hourly wage, start date, end date). It will also include questions about their housing status (staying at a friend's, having own apartment, having own house/condo, homeless, or other); and if they thought the virtual interview training helped them prepare for an interview. The employment status will be validated with administrative data collected by MDOC.

  6 month and 12 month follow up after villagers are released; will occur through study completion, average of 4 years

• Mock Interview Scoring

  Videos of mock interviews taken pre-intervention and post-intervention will be rated using a developed scale by the UM study team. Performance will be rated using a 1-5 likert scale with 1 being "Poor", 3 being "Average" and 5 being "Excellent"

  Assessments occur pre-intervention and post-intervention and data will be assessed throughout study completion, average of 4 years

• Recidivism as measured in Outcome Questionnaire

  Recidivism status will be collected during the 6 month and 12 month follow up survey. Questions include if they've been re-arrested (yes/no) and if they were convicted of a crime (yes/no). The recidivism self-report data will be validated by administrative data collected from MDOC.

  6 month and 12 month follow up after villagers are released; will occur through study completion, average of 4 years

• Cost Effectiveness of VR-JIT as measured by Pre-Delivery Cost Capture Questionnaires

  The Pre-Delivery cost capture surveys ask for MDOC staff to list the number of hours they worked on certain topics, including job interview training, mock interviews, job development/supports, job application skills, educational team meetings, educational team correspondence, project team correspondence, SIMersion team correspondence. This will provide a baseline number of total hours worked on these tasks before VR-JIT use. The Installation Cost Capture Questionnaire will ask MDOC Staff and Research Staff to list the number of hours they worked on activities related to getting VR-JIT installed and up and running at the prisons.

  Through study completion, average of 4 years

• Cost Effectiveness of VR-JIT as measured by Installation Cost Capture Questionnaires

  The Installation Cost Capture Questionnaire will ask MDOC Staff and Research Staff to list the number of hours they worked on activities related to getting VR-JIT installed and up and running at the prisons. This includes time spent on phone calls between sites, between IT members, UM staff, Simmersion staff, etc.). This will provide a total number of hours spent on getting VR-JIT up and running in these agencies.

  Through study completion, average of 4 years

• Cost Effectiveness of VR-JIT as measured by Delivery Cost Capture Questionnaire.

  The Delivery cost capture surveys ask for MDOC staff to list the number of hours they worked on certain topics (including job interview training, mock interviews, job development/supports, job application skills, educational team meetings, educational team correspondence, project team correspondence, SIMersion team correspondence, VR-JIT teaching, and VR-JIT support while using VR-JIT. This will provide a total number of hours worked on these tasks while delivery of the VR-JIT tool is occurring. The Installation Cost Capture Questionnaire will ask MDOC Staff and Research Staff to list the number of hours they worked on activities related to getting VR-JIT installed and up and running at the prisons.

  Through study completion, average of 4 years

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Psychological Distress Survey (SCL-10)

  At 3 points throughout the study completion, average of 4 years.

• DSM-5 Level 1 symptom measure

  At 3 points throughout the study completion, average of 4 years.

• Interviewing Anxiety/Comfort

  At 2 points throughout the study completion, average of 4 years.

• Interviewing Self-Efficacy/Confidence

  At 2 points throughout the study completion, average of 4 years.

• Interviewing Motivation/Enjoyment

  At 2 points throughout the study completion, average of 4 years.

Study Arms (2)

Services as usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training

EXPERIMENTAL

In addition to the services as usual comparator, participants will participate in Virtual Reality Job Interview Training.

Behavioral: Virtual Reality Job Interview Training; Behavioral: Services as usual

Services as Usual

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Study participants will be receiving their Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training.

Behavioral: Services as usual

Interventions

Virtual Reality Job Interview Training BEHAVIORAL

Participants will engage in training related to preforming well during a job interview as well as repeated job interview practice with a virtual hiring manager. Participants will receive feedback and tips on improving skills throughout the training.

Services as usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training

Services as usual BEHAVIORAL

Study participants will be receiving Vocational Village services as usual that may include but is not limited to vocational skill training, daily living skill training, and social skill training.

Services as Usual; Services as usual + Virtual Reality Job Interview Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: male
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years or older
• Identified as at moderate to high risk for reoffending with violent crimes (determined at the time of enrollment in the Vocational Village via the COMPAS Risk Assessment Classification Instrument \[60\])
• Within three months of their earliest release date
• Actively enrolled in a Vocational Village
• Have at least a 6th grade reading comprehension

You may not qualify if:

• Has uncorrected hearing or visual problem that prevents him or her from using the training
• Has a medical illness that compromises their cognition (for example, moderate to severe traumatic brain injury).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• SIMmersion, LLC: collaborator
• University of Michigan: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Criminal Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Matthew J Smith, PhD

  University of Michigan

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2019
• First Posted: May 3, 2019
• Study Start: September 16, 2019
• Primary Completion: January 1, 2024
• Study Completion: December 1, 2025
• Last Updated: January 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-01

Locations

US (1)