Employment After Incarceration in the COVID-19 Era

By Lauren Duke, IEDC Intern

Employment After Incarceration in the COVID-19 Era

As prisons and jails became hot spots for infection of the coronavirus, many in pre-trial detention and non-violent offenders were released to reduce overcrowding and rapid spread of the virus. In light of this influx of previously incarcerated individuals into the workforce, Brookings hosted a conversation on employment after incarceration, addressing the challenges facing formerly incarcerated individuals in the COVID-19 era, as well as how businesses can mitigate these challenges and commit to “Fair Chance” hiring. 

The June 5th webinar was moderated by Annelies Goger following a welcome by Rashawn Ray and opening remarks by Senator Cory Booker. Panelists included Charles Rosen, Shelley Winner, Makada Henry-Nickie, and Rehana Lerandeau. A recording of the webinar may be found here.

The panel outlined a number of ways to mitigate the challenges of finding employment, focusing on Fair Chance legislation and its role in the hiring process. The Fair Chance Act passed the House of Representatives in 2019 and has already been adopted in states such as California and New York. This act prevents employers from accessing an applicant’s criminal history until after a job offer has been extended. Still, however, employers often rescind offers following criminal background checks, highlighting the gaps within legislation meant to protect ex-offenders and shifting responsibility to state and local governments to protect their formerly incarcerated population. 

According to Senator Booker, the employment crisis pre-dated COVID-19, as those with criminal records are often turned away when applying for a job. Particularly impacted are Black Americans, who are disproportionately incarcerated, and whose unemployment rates rose to 16.8 percent in May. With over 40 million people still unemployed, those recently released from prison will most likely be the last to return to work.

As the United States enters a period of austerity and budget deficits, it is important to quickly implement career training and apprenticeship programs within prisons, preparing incarcerated people to be a valuable asset to the workforce. Brookings Fellow Makada Henry-Nickie highlighted the problems with traditional prison work, which is centered around supporting the function and maintenance of the prison, and the skills learned do not translate to steady jobs with the opportunity for mobility and higher pay, like vocational training. Only seven percent of inmates receive a vocational certification while incarcerated, while only two percent receive an associate’s degree, according to a 2016 study by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Expanding access to vocational work within the prison system will prepare those released to find quality jobs. 

Regional workforce development boards can spearhead this implementation, coordinating with employers, educational institutions, and prisons to establish a pipeline, allowing those with criminal records to enter the workforce with dignity. In Clackamas County, Oregon, for example, a partnership between the correctional facility, law enforcement, and the regional workforce development board sponsored reentry employment services for women leaving the county jail or state prisons, offering individual assessments and developing unique plans for each participant. This program resulted in low recidivism rates and high employer retention, demonstrating the positive impact of local workforce boards on the reentry of previously incarcerated people into the workforce.