There are barriers at the individual level that impede released individuals' efforts to secure and maintain employment.

Arrest and incarceration have some impact on the employment rates, and especially on the earnings, of people released from prison and jail. The dearth of available jobs in certain neighborhoods and the stigma of having a criminal record both hinder the employability and earnings capacities of people released from prison or jail; surveys have found that 60 percent of employers, upon initial consideration, would not hire an individual released from prison or jail. It is worth noting that the employment rates and earnings histories of individuals in prison and jail were often low before incarceration as a result of limited education experiences, low skill levels, and the prevalence of physical and mental health problems; a criminal record and recent incarceration only exacerbate these employment challenges.

Many of the communities that receive released individuals are ill prepared to absorb those with low employability.

Most inmates return to low-income, disadvantaged communities with limited employment prospects. These communities often have large numbers of low-skilled residents and relatively few unskilled jobs, let alone skilled jobs offering long-term employment stability. Peer groups in these neighborhoods presumably provide relatively few contacts to the world of legitimate work. All residents in these neighborhoods are adversely affected by what has been coined "spatial mismatch" - a surplus of workers relative to the number of available jobs in certain neighborhoods. Weak networks and contacts will continue to exacerbate the employment difficulties of this population.

Most employers are hesitant to hire released individuals.

Employers are often hesitant to hire people recently released from prison or jail for a number of concrete reasons. Besides the stigma of a criminal record and prevalent mismatches between job needs and skill levels of released individuals, state and federal laws prohibit individuals with certain felony convictions from working in certain occupations. In addition, employers can be legally liable for certain crimes committed by employees if they are found to have been negligent in their hiring.

Contact:
Jordie Hannum
Policy Analyst
Council of State Governments Justice Center
jhannum@csg.org
tel: (212) 482-2320
fax: (212) 482-2344