The effect of high-power nonverbal communication in the job interview for ex-prisoners

Abstract

Reintegrating ex-prisoners in our society has always been a challenge that doesn’t seem to have one responsible, but rather many agents that have to play an active role in it. The complexity of the task is huge, and if we look at countries that seem to be more successful in ex-prisoner reintegration like the Scandinavian countries in Europe for example, it is hard to replicate that system into another country that is fundamentally different. It seems that every country has its own strategy in how to deal with those individuals who commit crimes. The aim of this thesis is directed to what happens after prison, when the convicts get released, as it is in everyone’s best interest, that ex-prisoners do not reoffend and return to prison. One of the factors that seems to predict desistance in ex-criminals is finding a stable job, but in order to get employed, ex-prisoners have to go through a job interview, which many have never had in their entire lives. Moreover, ex-prisoners are subject of constant discrimination and stigmatization, which certainly does not help the cause. As research shows, nonverbal behaviour is a very important element in a successful job interview outcome. This thesis will examine through an experimental study, which type of non-verbal communication is most likely to get ex-prisoners hired.

Date of Award	27 Apr 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Filipa de Almeida (Supervisor)