Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Create a Culture of Employment Readiness and Retention for Incarcerated Individuals

Definition

Employment readiness encompasses several areas including soft skills, cognitive skills and industry-recognized training and the certifications employers expect from qualified applicants. In addition, an effective employment readiness and retention culture for incarcerated individuals should address the criminogenic issues, such as impulsivity and anti-social thinking, leading to detachment from the workforce.  Employment readiness/employability pertains to the incarcerated individual’s ability to both obtain and retain gainful attachment to the workforce.  Correctional Industries (CI) programs should focus on both. The ability to gain employment and the ability to retain employment are two very different skill sets the incarcerated individual must acquire to be successful in the workplace.

CI work assignments should mirror the community workplace, including job applications, interviews, orientation (to include workforce expectations and worker engagement), ongoing training and regular work evaluations. Creating a culture of employment readiness and retention for incarcerated individuals includes work readiness assessments conducted at entry, and at periodic points during and at the end of involvement with CI. In addition, every position in CI should be identified by its Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code found at the Department of Labor’s “O*Net” website https://www.bls.gov/soc/. This is essential in linking CI work with jobs in the community, and it is the first step in developing a workforce development culture within CI. In addition, The Occupational Outlook Handbook https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ provides valuable career development information.

Rationale/Benefits

 

An extensive body of research has established that a felony conviction or time in prison is a significant barrier to employment after release. It is not simply that individuals who commit crimes are less likely to work in the first place, but rather that felony convictions or time in prison act independently to lower the employment prospects of formerly incarcerated individuals. (Ex‐offenders and the Labor Market John Schmitt and Kris Warner November 2010.)

Employment can make a strong contribution to recidivism reduction efforts because it refocuses individuals’ time and efforts on pro-social activities, making them less likely to engage in risky behaviors and associate with people who do. Having a job also enables individuals to contribute income to their families, which can generate more personal support, stronger positive relationships, enhanced self-esteem, and improved mental health. For these reasons, employment is often seen as a gateway to becoming and remaining a law-abiding and contributing member of a community. Employment also has important societal benefits, including reduced strain on social service resources, contributions to the tax base, and safer, more stable communities (Integrated Re-entry and Employment, The Council of State Governments Justice Center, Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Job Readiness, 2013).
Emerging research suggests a connection to employment retention and reduced recidivism.  Corrections professionals have a critical mission that includes the goal of ensuring that incarcerated individuals who leave corrections supervision do not commit new crimes or return to incarceration. Research confirms that employment is a critical component of successful reentry; creating a culture of success through employment readiness for incarcerated individuals is essential. Not only do released incarcerated individuals need the ability to gain employment, they need to retain employment.
 
Today’s successful employment programs are those that are employer-driven and focused on the incarcerated individual. These programs are supported by, and built on, labor market information. They offer industry-standard training and certifications that meet employers’ expectations.  

Employers face global competition in their drive to operate successful businesses in today’s marketplace. If the correctional system is to be successful in placing formerly incarcerated individuals in meaningful employment that meets employers’ expectations, CIs must create a culture that prepares incarcerated individuals for gainful attachment to the workforce.

The Council of State Government’s National Reentry Resource Center studies clearly show a link between employment and reduction in recidivism. The formerly incarcerated individual’s ability to gain and retain employment is an important factor in reducing recidivism. A significant percentage of formerly incarcerated individuals are unemployed at time of re-arrest. An unemployed formerly incarcerated individual is far more likely to return to prison than an employed one. Employment provides a platform for success after release.

Creating a culture of success for incarcerated individuals through employment readiness goes hand in hand with employability and job retention. Additionally, CI will benefit by incarcerated individuals who have developed a culture of success through employment readiness, creating a competitive environment that emulates good operations practices. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) studies show incarcerated individuals who have participated in CI have a lower rate of institutional misconduct in prison, and those incarcerated individuals with a lower rate of misconduct in prison have a lower recidivism rate. Recidivism studies show reduced recidivism for incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional industries.

Practices

 

 

  1. Ensure building lives versus building products is the focus of the CI organization.

    There must be a change in the focus of the CI organization from making products to building lives. CI’s mission, vision and values must support a culture of success for incarcerated individuals through employment readiness.

  2. Support a culture of success for incarcerated individuals through employment readiness

    Career-focused reentry can prepare incarcerated individuals for employment and job retention, with an emphasis on soft skills and industry-standard training and certifications that will meet employers’ expectations for qualified applicants. Additionally, criminogenic risks need to be identified and addressed for the released incarcerated individual to be employment ready and employable.  

  1. Incorporate cognitive behavioral principles with motivational interviewing techniques in CI operations  

    These can be an important component in impacting employment readiness and retention. Programs and best practices for Cognitive Behavioral Training (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) can be implemented or reinforced in CI operations and involve staff at all levels.

  1. Use the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code to identify each  position used in CI 

    The 2018 SOC system is used to classify workers into occupational categories for the purpose of collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. All workers are classified into one of 867 detailed occupations according to their occupational definition. To facilitate classification, detailed occupations are combined to form 459 broad occupations, 98 minor groups, and 23 major groups. Detailed occupations in the SOC with similar job duties, and in some cases skills, education, and/or training, are grouped together.  The SOC code can be found at: http://www.onetonline.org/.

    The O*Net program is the nation’s primary source of occupational information. Central to the project is the O*Net database which contains information on hundreds of standardized and occupation specific descriptors. SOC codes and O*Net are the primary system and language used by Workforce Development Professionals both locally and nationwide. It provides the ability to clearly understand what an incarcerated individual did while assigned to CI.

  2. Provide meaningful job training by emulating the private sector workplace in work assignments.

    CI needs to become a “Learning Organization” focusing on talent management and development. A learning organization makes it a priority to engage its entire workforce on continuing education paths that support both personal and professional development. There is a focus on self-awareness so individuals can identify their areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement with their supervisors. This should also be supported by a performance management system that is relevant, timely and supports the culture that is necessary to meet the goal of employment readiness for the incarcerated individuals served in the program. CI Staff need to be trained to be leaders, mentors, teachers, coaches and role models. CI staff should be trained to offer, utilize and model critical thinking skills when interacting with CI workers. CIs should implement evidence-based training and ongoing professional coaching for staff to enable them to be effective in their roles. 

  3. Provide meaningful job training by emulating the private sector workplace in work assignments.

    CI should set clear metrics for work goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely (SMART). These should be accompanied by a system of rewards and recognition for accomplishment. Employment opportunities and workspaces should mirror the community workplace. CI should teach and reinforce work ethic principles, including daily attendance, punctuality, quality, productivity, teamwork, communication skills, the ability to take direction from a supervisor and adherence to health and safety guidelines. Incarcerated individuals need to understand that safety and security are important to businesses they will work for after release. (For more information, refer to the Replicate Private Industry Environment best practice.)

  4. Develop time management skills 

    Time management skills are essential for incarcerated individuals who transition from an institutional environment where most decisions were made for them, into a world where they immediately become the decision-makers. Development of these skills must begin well before time of release. Time management training helps incarcerated individuals plan for a productive and balanced use of personal time, which supports success on the job after release.

  5. Utilize journey workers as on-the-job trainers 

    A journey worker is someone who is advanced beyond being an apprentice. The use of CI journey workers as on-the-job trainers saves costs and provides excellent skill-building opportunities for the journey worker and other incarcerated individuals. The use of journey workers helps multiply and enhance the training CI staff can provide to incarcerated individuals. 

  6. Assist incarcerated individuals with networking and modern employment application processes

    Networking for employment leads is often a new concept for many incarcerated individuals who need coaching on how to best utilize their social contacts for job leads. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the majority of all jobs are found through networking. Incarcerated individuals need to learn to keep in touch, and tell everyone they are looking for a job. Incarcerated individuals need to explore ways such as mock job interviews and transition resource fairs to teach networking skills while incarcerated.   Additionally, more employers are requiring job seekers to apply for jobs online or using electronic applications. CIs should develop a training program or partner with education providers to teach incarcerated individuals how to use these electronic application systems. 
    Federal Bureau of Prisons Mock Job Fairs http://www.bop.gov/inmates/custody_and_care/reentry.jsp

  7. Partner with workforce development agencies

    Partner with Workforce Development and One-Stop Career Centers as a potential source of job readiness training, pre-release job readiness programming and ongoing support services for incarcerated individuals post release. Additionally, community organizations, small businesses and nonprofit organizations have programs or networking to provide formerly incarcerated individuals leads and job opportunities.  (For more information, refer to Provide Post-Release Employment Services best practice.)

  8. Provide credentials to demonstrate employability

    Provide credentials to validate CI work history including Department of Labor (DOL) Apprenticeships, trade association certifications, industry standard certifications such as Association for Linen Management, American Board of Opticianary, American Welding Society, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  (For more information, refer to the “Provide Certified Technical Skills” best practice.)

    When external credentials are not available, CI should develop an internal certificate of participation or proficiency. Documentation should include the number of hours worked in a specific SOC code and include written criteria for areas like performance, attitude, safety and teamwork. Absent of external certifications this may be the only record of an incarcerated individual’s participation in CI while incarcerated.

  9. Develop Career Resource Centers

    Career Resource Centers can be facilitated by staff or by incarcerated individuals working as clerks, to support career exploration to improve employment outcomes for incarcerated individuals. These centers help transform the incarcerated individual’s thinking to a career mindset. A Career Resource Center emerging strategy is to provide internet accessibility, allowing incarcerated individuals to begin the job search process prior to release. Resources are available through NIC at no cost.

  10. Assign and develop staff to build business relationships

    CI should assign and train staff to develop business connections with employers. Developing working relationships with Chambers of Commerce, business executives, company CEOs and HR professionals creates a favorable environment for employing incarcerated individuals in the future. Invite employers to tour your operations and conduct mock interviews. 

  1. Develop training programs based on Labor Market Information (LMI)

    Develop training programs based on employers’ needs using LMI through the State Department of Labor. CIs should stay abreast of occupational trends, ensuring the training CIs offer meets the needs of the local business. Whenever possible, collaborate with corrections education/vocational training, technology schools and state manufacturing organizations for training programs that fit the needs of Correctional Industries and the occupational trends. 

  1. Invite employers to serve on advisory boards and committees 

    Employers know the traits and factors that support job readiness. Agencies that invite employers to serve on advisory boards and committees often report closer working relationships with the business community. Employers bring real work perspectives to the discussion and to the decisions made by advisory boards and committees.

  2. Obtain compliance verification

    Compliance may be obtained through audits or assessments such as:
    •    Workforce Development Assessments
    •    Security Audits
    •    Safety and Environmental Audits
    •    PIECP Assessments
    •    ACA Audits
    •    Other assessments, i.e. DOL, education, ISO

Measurements

  • Incarcerated Individual Engagement Surveys
  • Employee Engagement Surveys
  • Organizational Culture Inventory
  • Pre/post training assessments (transfer of knowledge)
     

Resources

(NCIA recognizes some of the resources cited do not align with the person first language updates. However, the resource provides pertinent information utilized in the development of this document)

Publications

Websites

Tools

National Institute of Corrections’ programs such as The Employer-Driven Model and Toolkit, Evidence-based Workforce Training Series/Employment Retention Principles and Practices Regional Training, Motivational Interviewing Training, and Career Recourse Centers (CRC)
www.nicic.gov
Organizational Culture Inventory - Measuring Organizational Culture
http://www.humansynergistics.com/Products/OrganizationDevelopment/OrganizationalCultureInventory