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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:26 pm
Time: 11:26 pm
Results for ex-offenders, employment (washington, dc)
1 results foundAuthor: Council for Court Excellence Title: Unlocking Employment Opportunity for Previously Incarcerated Persons in the District of Columbia Summary: In the District of Columbia today a criminal record is an enormous impediment to employment. Nearly half of previously incarcerated persons in the city may be jobless with little prospect of finding consistent work. Without a job, the path toward rehabilitation and economic security is far more challenging, increasing the likelihood of repeat offenses that keep individuals trapped in a revolving cycle of incarceration. This problem has implications for our city as a whole. At a time when the unemployment rate in the District’s lowest-income wards has soared as high as 25%, joblessness among the previously incarcerated is exacerbating overall employment problems and threatening the long-term economic health and security of our neighborhoods. A steady flow of individuals into our communities who are short on skills and face barriers to getting a job is likely to create unemployment challenges for years to come. The possibility of criminal behavior related to lack of opportunity could present ongoing challenges in preserving public safety. An estimated 60,000 people in the District have criminal records and about 8,000 of them return to the city each year after serving sentences in prison or jail. After just three years, some 4,000 will be back behind bars. While the lack of a job is only one factor leading to recidivism, research shows that when the previously incarcerated have stable employment they are less likely to return to crime and public safety improves. The Council for Court Excellence (CCE) surveyed 550 previously incarcerated persons in the District of Columbia to assess the employment challenges facing them upon leaving prison or jail. Among the key findings: • Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they were unemployed. • Seventy-seven percent said they received no assistance from “anyone at the facility” in helping them look for a job. • Eighty percent of respondents said they were asked “all the time” about their criminal records when looking for a job. • Just 50 percent of those who received an education or training certificate while they were incarcerated said it helped them find work after their release. • There was little or no difference in employment rates for those who earned a GED or job certificate before or after prison and those who did not earn a GED or job certificate. CCE also conducted surveys and in-depth interviews with a diverse group of nearly 20 District employers ranging in size from 15 to nearly 700 employees, and also with representatives of DC business associations. Their responses indicate that a variety of obstacles stand in the way of hiring previously incarcerated persons. Most (80%) said they do not have a policy in place for hiring previously incarcerated persons and instead rely on application forms that ask about criminal history. Although one-third of respondent employers said they had hired a previously incarcerated person in the past or would do so if the opportunity arose, more than 50% said factors such as legal liability protection, certificates of good standing or rehabilitation and industry-specific skill training would “significantly increase or influence hiring.” Details: Washington, DC: Council for Court Excellence, 2011. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 19, 2011 at: http://www.courtexcellence.org/PublicationsNew/CCE_Reentry.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.courtexcellence.org/PublicationsNew/CCE_Reentry.pdf Shelf Number: 123371 Keywords: Ex-Offenders, Employment (Washington, DC)Prisoner ReentryRecidivism |