The Problem

The U.S. incarcerates 2.3 million people and 95 percent of these individuals will eventually return to their communities. Today, approximately 5 million formerly incarcerated people live in the U.S. Despite these statistics, the U.S. provides relatively few pathways for formerly incarcerated people to successfully reintegrate into society. Recidivism rates – rates of reoffending, rearrests, reconvictions, and re-incarceration – indicate just how difficult reintegration is for people returning home from prison. A 2018 Bureau of Justice Statistics report that tracked prisoners who were released in 2005 found that nearly half were rearrested during their first year of release and 80 percent were rearrested within six years of release.

Formerly incarcerated people who maintain stable, quality employment can better provide for themselves and their families and are less likely to recidivate. However, the job search process is challenging and complicated to navigate with a criminal record. A 2018 Prison Policy Initiative report estimates an unemployment rate of 27 percent among formerly incarcerated people, which is five times the national average of 5.2 percent and higher than the U.S. unemployment rate has ever been. High unemployment rates among formerly incarcerated people cannot be attributed to a lack of motivation to work as 93 percent of formerly incarcerated people are either employed or actively looking for work, while the same is true for 84 percent of the general public.

There are, however, two well-documented challenges formerly incarcerated people face when seeking employment. First, employers discriminate against formerly incarcerated people due to stigma surrounding their criminal histories. Second, formerly incarcerated people generally lack marketable job skills and education that would make them competitive applicants. Policymakers propose prison programming and credentialing as solutions to alleviate these causes of high unemployment rates among this population. Yet, poor access to prison programs and low levels of motivation to participate among incarcerated people most at risk limit the potential effectiveness of prison programs. In this chapter, I first identify who is largely affected by mass incarceration and reentry. Then, I highlight research and policies that address post-prison employment barriers and prison educational and training program issues. Lastly, this chapter concludes with recommendations to improve reentry efforts.