The Role of Therapeutic Communities in the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Parolees and Probationers in Samar

This study examines the impact of Therapeutic Community programs on rehabilitation and reintegration among Parolees and Probationers in Samar, Philippines. Objectives were to (1) assess satisfaction across relational/behavioral, affective/emotional, cognitive/intellectual, spiritual, and psychomotor/vocational domains; (2) determine effects on employment, social relationships, and community involvement; (3) elicit post-program aspirations; and (4) develop an enhancement model. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design combined a structured Likert-type survey of 160 purposively selected participants (80 parolees and 80 probationers) drawn from a 344-person frame across two districts, with saturation-reached Key Informant Interviews (seven total: four parolees and three probationers). Quantitative analyses employed nonparametric group comparisons and association tests, while qualitative data underwent directed-plus-inductive thematic analysis and integration through joint displays. Salient findings indicate generally higher satisfaction among probationers, significant between-group differences in cognitive and intellectual, as well as spiritual domains, and consistently low satisfaction in psychomotor/vocational skills. Program effects were strong for social relationships and community involvement, but minimal for employment and for feeling valued by society. Conclusions indicate that supervision status conditions how participants experience Therapeutic Community content and translate gains into daily life; without labor-market–connected training and supports, therapeutic improvements rarely become employment outcomes. The study’s significance lies in providing district-level, mixed-methods evidence for Samar, clarifying the model’s social and civic strengths, and pinpointing the vocational and labor-market gap as the principal limiting mechanism. Outcome: an evidence-based enhancement plan was produced to align skills training and community supports with observed needs.