Humor in Workplace Leadership: A Systematic Search Scoping Review.

Humor studies are increasingly prevalent in workplace and leadership domains, it has shown significant development in the last 40 years. The multifaceted nature of humor means varied definitions and diverse measurement approaches have been approved. As a result, research methodologies and findings are not easily clarified, and have not been synthesized. The aim of this scoping review was to review the existing body of literature relevant to humor in workplace leadership to identify key research areas, methodologies used, guiding theoretical frameworks, and gaps that are persisting over the last 40 years. Using qualitative review methods, four key themes in the research emerged relating to: (1) humor styles and outcomes; (2) humor as communication and discursive resource; (3) variables in the humor and leadership relationship; and (4) cultural context. This review demonstrates significant research progress on the topic of humor in workplace leadership. Research progress and gaps are discussed based on five key questions. Future research directions are outlined and discussed.

The Impact of Vocational Education and Training Programs on Recidivism: A Systematic Review of Current Experimental Evidence.

Although the association between unemployment and offending is well established, relatively little is known about the impact of vocational education and training programs on re-offending, with much of the previous work in this area failing to control for, or correct, selection bias. This article reports the findings of a systematic review, which considers the findings of only those studies that have used experimental or quasi-experimental designs to evaluate vocational training and employment program outcomes for adult offenders. The analysis identifies key features, based on these studies, of those programs associated with the best outcomes and recommends selection criteria for those who are most likely to benefit from prison vocational education and training.

Prison Industry and Desistance from Crime: An Australian Programme.

Prison industries represent an important component of service delivery for correctional administrations around the world and yet there have been few attempts to articulate the specific role that they play in prisoner reintegration. This article describes the operation of an Australian prison industry programme. It identifies key programme characteristics that are thought to be associated with success before applying a desistance framework to understand the mechanisms by which change occurs and identify possible areas for improving efficacy. It is concluded that significant opportunities exist to enhance reintegration outcomes in this type of programme.

Analysis of the stages of change model of drug and alcohol treatment readiness among prisoners.

A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was applied to data for 237 male participants (M = 31.93 years, SD = 7.64) in a prison-based substance abuse treatment program to study the integrity of the Stages of Change model of treatment readiness. Using the Stages of Change Questionnaire (STOCQ), participants were assigned to Contemplation (102), Action (118), or Maintenance (17) groups. A CART analysis then examined differences in the overall group profiles on the basis of scores on the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking, the Situational Confidence Questionnaire, and the Carlson Psychological Survey. The assumption of discrete stages of change was not supported. Alternative models are suggested: one based on states of change and one on personality characteristics. A focus on equal attention to both cognitive and behavioral aspects of substance abuse treatment readiness is suggested.

The relationship between emotional state and success in community reintegration for ex-prisoners.

This study examines the role of emotional state in the reintegration of ex-prisoners. Participants were 101 adult prisoners (72 male, 29 female) who completed a questionnaire 1 month prior to their release and at two postrelease points focusing, first, on prison-related experiences and, second, on the quality of life conditions experienced following release. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were also completed at each interview. Results indicate that mean BDI-II scores were significantly higher at prerelease than postrelease, while mean anxiety scores were unchanged over the period under investigation. There are significant relationships between numerous reintegration variables and emotional state following release. At each postrelease point, lower depression and anxiety among participants were related to higher age and improved psychological health. Higher depression and anxiety were related to participation in a postrelease program. Theoretical implications for reintegration theory are discussed, together with practical applications.