The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
Abstract
In 2002, researchers at the Urban Institute launched a longitudinal study of men being released from state correctional institutions in Illinois and returning to Chicago as part of the multi-state Returning Home project. This chapter presents an analysis of data gathered from interviews with these former prisoners before and after their release from Illinois prisons. Specifically, the chapter examines the workforce experiences of 400 men prior to their incarceration, then at an average of two months and six months after release. Few studies have focused on the characteristics of released prisoners who are successful in finding employment after leaving prison. Analyses reported in this chapter add the perspective of self-reports from a recent cohort of former prisoners to existing research. Data on pre-prison and in-prison employment histories and other individual, family, and community factors are analyzed, with an emphasis on how they relate to employment outcomes at about six months after release. Analyses reveal that less than 30 percent were employed at the time of the interview at six months after release and about half (49 percent) 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. Implications of these findings for future research on the employment outcomes of former prisoners are discussed.
This work is Chapter 3 (Pp 80-144) in Barriers to Reentry? The Labor Market for Released Prisoners in Post-Industrial America. Shawn Bushway, Michael A. Stoll, and David F. Weiman (eds.)
Russell Sage Foundation. New York, NY. 2007. Read more about this book on the Russell Sage Foundation web site.
The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
Usage, posting and reprint of materials on the UI web site:
Most publications may be downloaded free of charge from the web site in PDF format. This information may be used and copies made for research, academic, policy or other non-commercial purposes. Proper attribution is required.
Copyright of the written materials contained within the Urban Institute website is owned or controlled by the Urban Institute. Posting UI research papers on other websites is permitted subject to prior approval from the Urban Institute—contact paffairs@urban.org.
If you are unable to access or print the PDF document please contact us or call the Publications Office at (202) 261-5687.
Latest Research
Browse by Topic:
Printer-friendly summary
