Barriers to Reentry?: The Labor Market for Released Prisoners in Post-Industrial America

Chapter 3 Finding Work on the Outside: Results from the “Returning Home” Project in Chicago

Chapter 3 Finding Work on the Outside: Results from the “Returning Home” Project in Chicago Christy A. Visher and Vera Kachnowski F inding employment after release is one of the most important reintegration challenges facing ex-prisoners, and is one that can have a significant impact on their chances of remaining crimefree . Prior research shows that finding and maintaining a legitimate job after release can reduce the chances of reoffending following release from prison (Sampson and Laub 1993, 1997; Harer 1994), especially for older offenders (Uggen 2000). Research also indicates that the higher the wages ex-offenders receive, the less likely persons released from prison are to return to crime (Bernstein and Houston 2000; Grogger 1998). The importance of employment for a successful transition from prison to the community is acknowledged by prisoners themselves: most soon-to-be-released prisoners report that finding a job will be the single most important factor in staying out of trouble once they leave prison (Visher, La Vigne, and Farrell 2003; Visher et al. 2004). Although two-thirds of former prisoners reported that they held a job just prior to their incarceration (Lynch and Sabol 2001), most prisoners experience great difficulties finding jobs after their release. During the time they spend in prison, individuals lose work skills, forfeit the opportunity to gain work experience, and sever interpersonal connections and social contacts that could lead to legal employment opportunities upon release (Western, Kling, and Weiman 2001; Sampson and Laub 1997; Hagan and Dinovitzer 1999). And, though the period of incarceration could be viewed as an opportunity to build skills and prepare for placement at a future job, the evaluation literature provides mixed support for the effectiveness of in-prison job-training programs 80 Finding Work on the Outside 81 (Bushway and Reuter 2001; Gaes et al. 1999; Wilson et al. 1999). After release, the stigma of the ex-prisoner status makes the job search even more difficult: a recent survey of three thousand employers in four major metropolitan areas revealed that two-thirds of the employers would not knowingly hire an ex-prisoner (Holzer et al. 2004). In addition to the effect jobs have on former prisoners’ likelihood of recidivism, finding and maintaining stable employment is an important element of a positive post-release adjustment in its own right. Yet few studies have systematically examined the employment experiences of persons released from prison or identified characteristics of released prisoners who are successful in locating employment after release (but see Bushway and Reuter 2001; also, Uggen and Thompson 2003, for an analysis of the determinants of illegal earnings). William J. Sabol (chapter 9, this volume), using unemployment insurance records on released prisoners in Ohio, finds that pre-prison employment experience, but not education or in-prison training programs, affects the likelihood of finding employment. In general, a relatively limited set of independent variables has been used to explain employment among former prisoners. Other research on the lives of former prisoners suggests that their post-release circumstances may be significant predictors of success or failure, including finding and keeping a job (Laub and Sampson 1993). For example, individuals ’ attitudes and health, their relationships with family and peers, and even the neighborhood in which former prisoners reside may affect the likelihood of employment. However, examining the impact of these ex-prisoner attributes on employment outcomes has not been common in existing research because such analyses require expensive data collection techniques to gather self-reported information. In this chapter we use data gathered through the Urban Institute’s Returning Home project in Illinois, which involves multiple interviews with prisoners and former prisoners who returned to Chicago. We present findings on pre- and in-prison experiences that might prepare prisoners for employment after release and on post-release employment outcomes at one to three months (first interview) and four to eight months (second interview) after release. In addition, we examine factors predicting current employment and number of months employed since release: demographic and other pre-prison characteristics, criminal history and in-prison experiences, and post-release circumstances. The Returning Home Project The purpose of the Returning Home project is to develop a deeper understanding of the reentry experiences of returning prisoners, their 82 Barriers to Reentry? families, and communities. The project explores the phenomenon of prisoner reentry within five domains (Visher and Travis 2003): 1. The individual experience, as documented through interviews with prisoners before and after release...