Employment After Incarceration: Second Chance Hiring for Ex-Prisoners

According to a late 2020 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are around 1.8 million people behind bars in federal, state, and locally run jails and prisons throughout the country. While this number has been steadily decreasing over the last decade, the United States still has the largest imprisoned population in the world.

With so many American serving time, what kind of life awaits them on the other side? For roughly 19 million people in America with felony convictions, finding stable work can be a tumultuous and draining process. Without a job, it can be all too easy to slide back into a past life and end up behind bars once again.

But how hard is it really to find a job, secure housing, or afford healthcare? Experts say acquiring these basic necessities can be a shockingly difficult process. On top of this many people leave prison with some amount of unpaid debt as well.

Beth Schwartzapfel is a staff writer at The Marshall Project, a nonprofit media outlet covering criminal justice issues. She says the cards are often stacked against inmates from the very start of the criminal justice process.

Court costs and fines and fees are charged to people at the time of their case and follow them around… In some states, there are deductions taken out of there already-meager pay, both for restitution but also to cover court fees and fines. And so your average prisoner leaves prison thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars in debt. Other financial obligations like childcare don’t stop while you’re incarcerated…. Those just accumulate and you come with years and years of arrears on childcare payments and other financial obligations.

Jeffrey Korzenik, an economic researcher and author of the book Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community, says job offers for former inmates are shockingly hard to come by, with a unemployment rate hovering around 27%.

For all people who have exited prison, it’s estimated that the unemployment rate is 27%. And that includes those who are still looking. Of course, there are others who have simply dropped out of the labor force that you’d add on to that 27% number. In the first year out of incarceration, the unemployment rate is thought to be north of 50%.

The period of time between leaving prison and reintegrating into society is crucial. Korzenik says there are government agencies and nonprofits that help ex-prisoners with this transition. These entities are now partnering with employers looking to hire from this talent pool.

…Those nonprofits have the ability to build longer-term relationship with potential employees, and can essentially attest to job readiness and to character. So these are really important components of successful models for businesses. These nonprofits do really heavy lifting, some really important work. Often helping people find housing, helping them with computer literacy, helping them with transportation, even clothing.

Find out more about employment after incarceration and the organizations doing their best to tackle the issue by visiting the links listed below.

Guest Information:

Beth Schwartzapfel, staff writer, The Marshall Project.
Jeffrey Korzenik, economic researcher, author, Untapped Talent: How Second Chance Hiring Works for Your Business and the Community.