The Labor Market Consequences of Incarceration

Abstract

Rapid growth in the incarceration rate over the past two decades has made prison time a routine event in the life course of young, economically disadvantaged Black and Hispanic men. Although incarceration may now have large effects on economic inequality, only a few studies systematically examine the labor market experiences of ex-offenders. We review the mechanisms that plausibly link incarceration to employment and earnings and discuss the challenges of causal inference for a highly self-selected sample of criminal offenders. There is little consensus about the labor market effects of a variety of justice system sanctions, but there is consistent evidence for the negative effects of prison time on earnings, particularly among older or white-collar offenders. The labor market effects of incarceration are not yet well understood, but prior research suggests several promising avenues for future work.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults

“…In addition to lower levels of educational attainment, the lack of vocational skills and of a steady history of employment (Petersilia, 2003;Western, Kling, and Weiman, 2001) also represents a significant challenge for individuals returning to local communities (Travis, Solomon, and Waul, 2001). Incarceration affects employment and earnings in a number of ways.…”

Effects of structured vocational services on job-search success in ex-offender veterans with mental illness: 3-month follow-up

“…They will more likely be homeless and with limited options for housing because of legal restrictions [1,3,5]. Medical and mental health will likely be poorer in those with a history of incarceration [3,[6][7]. Additionally, almost 80 percent of all those incarcerated in state prisons are estimated to have a history of drug use [8]; this high interrelationship between incarceration and substance dependence will pose additional difficulties for veterans trying to maintain independence in the community.…”

“…Both lack of use of skills and changing technologies during incarceration can reduce a veteran's marketable work skills [6]. Incarceration also limits the social networks veterans can draw on to assist in finding employment [6].…”

“…Both lack of use of skills and changing technologies during incarceration can reduce a veteran's marketable work skills [6]. Incarceration also limits the social networks veterans can draw on to assist in finding employment [6]. Additionally, employers' perceptions that some types of crimes, such as violent and sex crimes, are worse than others may further limit the job opportunities for a subset of formerly incarcerated veterans [17].…”

Intimate Partner Violence During the Transition from Prison to the Community: An Ecological Analysis

“…The longer one is employed in a job or engaged in an education program the more committed they feel, and the more they have to lose if they are caught committing crime. Unfortunately, finding employment is a significant obstacle for offenders who are transitioning from prison back into the community (Waldfogel, 2001;Western, Kling, & Weiman, 2001). Therefore, these offenders may not be as likely to experience the positive impact of employment or long-term education on criminal conduct.…”