Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/VeraKachnowski

As part of the multi-state Returning Home project, researchers at the Urban Institute directed interviews with 400 former prisoners before and after their release from Illinois prisons to examine their employment experiences prior to their incarceration and after their return to Chicago. Less than 30 percent were employed at six months after release and about half reported having worked at least one month since their release. Employment before prison, participation in job training during prison, strong family relationships, and an absence of health problems led to a greater likelihood of finding work after release.

This report is based on surveys completed by 676 men and women shortly before their release from Texas prisons and state jails and their return to the Houston area. We describe respondents' criminal, substance abuse, and employment histories; current health problems; in-prison programming experiences; relationships with family members; and expectations for release. Differences between respondents based on gender and type of confinement (i.e., prison or state jail) are also highlighted. Overall, these findings describe a population with extensive histories of substance use and criminal behavior, yet strong family ties and great optimism for what life will be like on the outside.

This policy brief uses data collected from the Returning Home study to examine the employment experiences of male prisoners returning to Chicago. Findings indicate that few prisoners had access to job training while in prison and the vast majority wanted job training and assistance upon release. Respondents expected that finding a job would be difficult, and these predictions were accurate, with relatively few sample members employed within the first several months after release. Over time, an increasing number of respondents found some type of job, although the share of those who were employed full-time did not increase. Respondents who had worked before prison, who had been on work release, and/or who thought their neighborhood was a good place to find a job had more success securing and maintaining employment. Those with a history of substance abuse and parole revocations were less successful at both finding and keeping a job. Most of the respondents who obtained employment after release reported satisfaction with their jobs in every area but pay.

Most prisoners released in the United States are subject to community supervision, often called "parole." But little is known about whether parole increases public safety outcomes or improves reentry transitions. This study compares prisoners released to supervision—via mandatory and discretionary release—with prisoners released unconditionally. Bureau of Justice Statistics data on 38,624 state prisoners released in 1994 from 15 states are analyzed, along with the differences between these groups and their rearrest rates. [View the corresponding press release]

This research brief provides empirical evidence on the actual experiences of prisoners returning home to Baltimore, based on a series of interviews with these prisoners before and after their release. It presents key findings on a range of reentry challenges faced by returning prisoners and describes factors that relate to postrelease success or failure, such as employment, substance use, individuals' expectations and attitudes, health challenges, criminal histories, and the family and community context awaiting them. [View the corresponding press release]

The number of people released from Maryland prisons in 2001 was nearly twice the number released two decades ago. Well over half of the Maryland prisoners released in 2001 returned to Baltimore City and many were even more concentrated within a few neighborhoods in Baltimore. This report describes the process of prisoner reentry in Maryland by examining the policy context surrounding reentry, the characteristics of Maryland's returning inmates, the geographic distribution of returning prisoners, and the social and economic climates of the communities that are home to the highest concentrations of returning prisoners. [View the corresponding press release.]

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