State and county agencies responsible for the maintenance of prisons and jails rarely provide services that link soon-to-be released prisoners with jobs on the outside. Some wardens invite private employers to their facilities for job fairs, but there is little evidence of the success or effectiveness of these initiatives. There are a limited number of examples of institution-based programs that link inmates to post-release jobs. Project RIO (Re-Integration of Offenders), run by the Texas Workforce Commission, is a notable example of the promise of these types of programs. Providing job placement services to more than 16,000 parolees each year, Project RIO has found that its participants are more likely to be employed a year after release and less likely to be reincarcerated in comparison to similar released individuals. ^[1]   Most organizations that link former prisoners and employers do so only after release.