Enhance Workforce Preparation During Incarceration

What Can Policymakers Do?

• Support educational programs for inmates including; general education (high school diplomas and GEDs) as well as secondary educational opportunities. Education, particularly higher education has proven to significantly reduce recidivism rates. Before public funding was eliminated in 1995, prison colleges made higher education available to the most isolated communities and were the most cost-effective form of public correctional spending.[1] The North Carolina Department of Corrections has partnered with both North Carolina Community Colleges and the University of North Carolina to provide higher education to inmates as well as to create a pipeline to college for inmates who are released.

• Support the development of a pre- and post-release curriculum. States can commit increased resources to coordinated employment services (education, job and soft skills training, and transitional employment) before and after release from prison or jail.[2] The State of New Jersey’s Another Chance Program coordinates initiatives that begin while an offender is in prison and continue after release, including intensive diagnostic assessments and expanded educational, vocational and job-coaching programs.

• Enhance job skills development. Research shows the importance of education and training for reducing recidivism, and marketable skills are essential to employment prospects for ex-offenders.[3] To promote these skills, policymakers can ensure that (a) education and training programs are focused on the specific skills that provide opportunities for achieving meaningful credentials, and (b) education and training are related to industries experiencing job growth. Maryland’s Department of Workforce and Training has established the Maryland Energy Sector Partnership, which includes education and training for ex-offenders in emerging green jobs.

• Support soft skills development. In addition to job-specific skills, more general workforce preparation is essential to employment. This preparation focuses on "soft skills" such as communication, conflict resolution, and professional norms. With sites in California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Project Strive’s three-to-four-week training program for the hard-to-employ, such as former prisoners, includes structured training on personal responsibility, attitude, communication skills and workplace norms. Participants build an understanding of the work environment and the strong work ethic necessary for obtaining and maintaining employment.