The preceding policy statement, Education and Vocational Training, addressed the value of teaching skills to prisoners and providing them with a basic (and sometimes advanced) education. Jobs that build towards a career and make prisoners more marketable to employers upon release should be made available inside prisons and jails to complement these education and training programs. Correctional work assignments that are offered without attention to labor market demands, such as cleaning and furniture-making, typically do not prepare prisoners for the skilled jobs available in the communities to which they will return. By considering the local labor market and expanding the range of work assignments to include volunteer, pre-apprenticeship, and work-release programs, corrections administrators are more likely to provide people in prison and jail with the skills and experience necessary to obtain gainful employment in the community.

Recommendations:

A.

Provide work assignments in prison or jail that correspond to the needs of the employment market.

1.

Just over half of the prison population works while incarcerated.

B.

Develop pre-apprenticeship work assignments which provide a clear path into community-based apprenticeship programs in high demand occupations.

2.

The type of work assignments available to inmates often does not match the employment needs in the local labor market.

C.

Establish work programs that involve nonprofit, volunteer, and community service organizations so that participants can gain work experience without competing with other potential employees in the community.

3.

Research suggests numerous benefits from correctional work programs.