Connecting each prisoner to a job in the community in advance of his or her release date is a critical step to facilitating a successful return to the community. Programming during incarceration (discussed in Policy Statement 15, Education and Vocational Training, and Policy Statement 16, Work Experience) can prepare the prisoner to take advantage of the expansion of workforce opportunities in the community, as outlined in the previous policy statement, Creation of Employment Opportunities. Many individuals will still require assistance in finding and obtaining appropriate positions, however. Corrections staff and employment services providers should seek to promote direct linkages to jobs by increasing the flow of information and resources between the institution and the community. Employers can visit a prison to learn more about potential employees, and One-Stop career centers can offer individuals their services even before they return the community. Work-release programs that allow prisoners to gain experience in the community and written information provided upon release can also promote effective transitions. The key to all of these efforts is cooperation that reaches across prison walls to maximize efficiency and opportunity.

Recommendations:

1.

Few inmates are connected to actual jobs-transitional or permanent-before release.

A.

Initiate job searches before people in prison or jail are released using community-based workforce development resources.

B.

Encourage employers to visit the correctional facility and meet with prospective employees before they are released.

2.

Inmates would benefit from pre-release programs that enhance their job-seeking skills.

C.

Engage community members and community-based services to act as intermediaries between employers and job-seeking individuals.

3.

Few prisons and county jails currently provide job placement services.

4.

There are relatively few community-based organizations that specialize in linking former prisoners to work; they are mostly locally based, and cannot begin to accommodate the national demand for services.

D.

Promote use of work-release programs as a transition between work inside a correctional facility and work after release into the community.

E.

Encourage community networks to support prisoners who participate in work release programs.

F.

Provide individuals, upon their release from prison or jail, with written information about their prospective employers or community employment service providers and official documentation of their skills and experience, including widely accepted cred