Facilitating Employment and Educational Opportunities for Justice Involved Individuals
The research on the interconnectedness between employment, recidivism, and behavioral health is complex with mixed findings, although stakeholders generally agree that employment can play an important role in reducing recidivism.1 Employment has shown the greatest impact on recidivism rates when justice-involved individuals become employed in positions that offer stability and higher-earnings versus a transitional, temporary job. Stable positions not only offer a source of income, but also a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and social inclusion. Many justice-involved individuals are disadvantaged, relative to general job-seekers, due to unstable work histories, a lack of marketable skills, lower educational attainment, and the stigma attached to a criminal history.
