About the Report The Report, Part II: Review of the Re-Entry Process:

chapters and policy statements:
About the Report of the Re-Entry Council

21: Creation of Employment Opportunities

Promote, where appropriate, the employment of people released from prison and jail, and facilitate the creation of job opportunities for this population that will benefit communities.

Overview

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Policymakers can increase the pool employers that will hire people released from prison and jail by examining employment barriers and eliminating those that have no real bearing on public safety. Further, businesses that do not currently employ significant numbers of people after their incarceration need to be educated about support available to employers who hire released individuals, including government financial incentives, third-party intermediaries, and community corrections supervision.

Research Highlights

Recommendations

  1. Educate employers about financial incentives, such as the Federal Bonding Program, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Welfare-to-Work programs, and first-source agreements, which make a person who was released from prison a more appealing prospective employ
  2. Determine which industries and employers are willing to hire people with criminal records and encourage job development and placement in those sectors.
  3. Review employment laws that affect the employment of people based on criminal history, and eliminate those provisions that are not directly linked to improving public safety.
  4. Promote individualized decisions about hiring instead of blanket bans and provide documented means for people with convictions to demonstrate rehabilitation.
  5. Use community corrections officers and third-party intermediaries to assist employers with the supervision and management of people released from prison or jail.
  6. Identify community service opportunities and internships for people released from prison or jail who cannot find work so that they can acquire real work experience and on-the-job training.

Related Policy Statements

 Our Publications

Public Housing Authorities and Prisoner Re-Entry

A growing number of people are released each year from state prison and local jails; this phenomenon, prisoner reentry, has a significant impact on housing programs administered by PHAs, including public housing, the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8), and other programs.

Related Information

Issue Area:
Sex Offenders

Issue Area:
Education and Employment

Program Example:
California: Ex-Felon Employment Initiative
San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and National Economic Development and Law Center

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