Date of Conferral

3-21-2025

Date of Award

March 2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Tony Gaskew

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to better understand the federal probation officer's perspective of rehabilitation programs in the federal bureau of prisons. The following research question provided a guide: What are federal probation officers' perspectives regarding the success of rehabilitation programs offered in the federal bureau of prisons? Semi structured interviews were conducted with 10 employees of a federal probation office located in the southern United States. Interviews were conducted using Zoom and audio-recorded and transcribed to text files for thematic analysis. The main findings in this study included the need to tailor programs for prisoners to support their success. More funding is needed to reform prison rehabilitation programs, which will require the development of a task force using a bottom-up approach to inform policymakers. The task force should include federal probation officers, businesses, and community organizations to ensure collaboration throughout the reform process to gain the commitment of policymakers to reform. Recommendations are made for this effort, including suggestions for further research to build more consensus around this rehabilitation program reform effort. Rehabilitation program reform and additional funding may contribute to positive social change by providing a solid foundation to reduce recidivism and strengthen American society by ensuring prisoners, once released, are productive members of society.

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