To ensure that the education and training provided to people in prison and jail corresponds with the prevailing job market, it is critical that corrections officials work closely with community-based workforce and employment services providers. Partnerships between corrections agencies and these organizations will ensure that program participants are receiving skills and training geared toward available jobs within the community to which they will return upon release. (See Policy Statement 5, Promoting systems Integraiont and Coordination, for more on collaboration between systems.)

Each state's Department of Labor or other state government agency typically gathers labor market information (LMI) for its respective jurisdiction, including detailed information on cities and counties. Workforce Investment Boards, One-Stop career centers, community colleges, universities, employment development offices, and similar resources can also be excellent sources of current labor market information. Many of these organizations supplement the LMI data provided by the state with their own information. Representatives of the criminal justice system should establish partnerships with local workforce and employment services providers to utilize such resources.

Example: Project RIO, Texas Workforce Commission and Texas Department of Criminal Justice

The close collaboration of two state agencies-the Texas Workforce Commission and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-allows institutional programming to be tailored to the needs of both prisoners and the market. Program employment specialists have immediate access on their office computers to the Texas Workforce Commission's entire database of labor market analyses and may arrange for specific employers to visit potential employees in prison. In addition, RIO staff work within the Windham School District, which operates in the state's prisons and is funded by the Texas Education Agency, collaborating on curriculum development and delivery.