Can transitional jobs help released offenders avoid going back to jail and get steady jobs down the road? That's the question the Joyce Foundation wants to answer through a $14.5-million grantmaking initiative.

PNN Online reported July 28 that Joyce recently awarded $5.4 million in grants to launch the program, with agencies in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Paul providing transitional employment to released inmates.

Researchers will compare the program results to traditional employment services offered to former offenders. A report, due in 2009, will look at long-term employment results, income, and incarceration rates.

"Everyone is looking for strategies to help these men connect to jobs, stay out of prison, support their families and contribute to their communities," said Joyce President Ellen S. Alberding.

"We're delighted at the enthusiastic collaboration of states, leading social service agencies, the U.S. Department of Labor, and other funders in this initiative. We hope the study will provide the evidence to direct significant future public investments in ways that can really make a difference for ex-prisoners, their families, and the rest of us who will benefit if these men can escape the vicious cycle of crime and imprisonment."