Individuals released from prison or jail should be better incorporated into community service opportunities that serve a wide range of individuals who experience difficulty finding work or who need additional skill development to secure meaningful employment. Some of these opportunities may even be available to individuals in prison or on work release, and corrections staff should encourage inmate participation in community service during the incarceration period. (See Policy Statement 22, Workforce Development and the Transition Plan, for more on using community service as work-release programming.) Individuals may also benefit from the work experience that can be obtained through community service after their release to the community.

Example: Neighborhood Work Program, Center for Employment Opportunities (NY)

The Neighborhood Work Program (NWP) provides individuals released from Shock Incarceration, New York's six-month corrections boot camp, with short-term, minimum-wage employment through contracts with government agencies. NWP work crews do maintenance, repair and sanitation jobs for dozens of government facilities in the New York City area. NWP currently coordinates 35 to 40 work crews with five to seven members each.

Individuals who are performing community service may still require other supportive services, and these should not be withdrawn because the "employment" is unpaid.