Q: What is the typical educational profile of previously incarcerated adults?

A: Only 65 percent of prisoners have a high school diploma or GED, compared to 82 percent of the general population.1 Seven in 10 prisoners who have a GED reported that they obtained it while incarcerated.2 The overwhelming majority of people in state and federal prisons have not had any postsecondary education—17 percent compared to 51 percent among the general population.3 An estimated 19 percent of adult inmates are illiterate and 60 percent are functionally illiterate, according to the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.4

Q: What is the typical educational profile of previously incarcerated youth?

A: Research shows that many delinquent youth are developmentally behind their peers, and are more likely to have learning disabilities. More than half of youth in detention have not completed the eighth grade.5 Some estimates place the percentage of youth involved in the juvenile justice system who have learning disabilities as high as 70 percent.6 Studies show that juvenile delinquency is correlated with learning disabilities, but insufficient attention is paid to the additional challenges youth with learning disabilities face upon reentry. Two-thirds of youth who leave formal custody do not return to school.7

Q: What educational and vocational training opportunities are available to people in prison?

A: Nearly all state and federal prisons have some form of education programming available to inmates, but the number of people getting some form of education is small. For example, only about 20 percent of state and federal prisoners report having received adult secondary education while incarcerated.8

Correctional education may be carried out within the prison system or provided by an outside body. Correctional education can be placed in the following categories:

• Adult Basic Education (ABE) provides instruction in the foundation skills of reading, writing, and mathematics to adult learners, who are typically reading below the ninth grade level. English as a second language (ESL) also falls into this category.
• Adult Secondary Education (ASE) provides instruction to complete high school or a high school equivalency certificate, such as a GED.
• Postsecondary Education provides college-level instruction; sometimes college credit may be available.
• Special Education provides instruction for people diagnosed with learning disabilities or special needs.
• Vocational Education provides instruction and training in either specialized or general employment skills.
• Life Skills Education provides instruction geared toward developing skills and abilities that enable individuals to deal effectively with the challenges of everyday life.

Federal prisons tend to offer more programs than state prisons.* In state prisons, adult basic and secondary education tend to be the most commonly offered programs, followed by vocational education and training. Special education and postsecondary education are least commonly available. Local jails tend to offer even fewer education opportunities. Only 60 percent of jails offer any type of education programming.9

Q: What are the benefits of educational development and attainment for a previously incarcerated adult?

A: People who receive vocational training while incarcerated are more likely to be employed after release. Research shows that those who receive vocational training have a recidivism rate at least 20 percent lower than those who did not receive training.10

Corrections-based educational programming can help increase earning power. People with criminal records earn 10-20 percent less than someone with an equivalent education background and level of experience.11 Given that incarcerated individuals report that their average monthly income before admission was $1,000 or less, the reduced earnings associated with a criminal record could push formerly incarcerated individuals' wage earnings significantly below the poverty line.12 On average, a high school graduate earns $8,000 more per year than someone without a diploma.13 Although national studies have shown that GED holders have lower annual earnings, hourly wages, and probability of employment than a person with a high school diploma, their opportunities are still significantly better than those with neither a GED or diploma. Attaining an education while in a correctional facility is the best way for people to bridge the wage gap and earn livable wages after incarceration.

Those who are able to complete community college occupational degree programs are significantly more likely to find employment and earn, on average, over $4,400 more per year than those who did not enroll in training programs.14 According to a report released by the Executive Office of the President, most jobs that offer wages above the median require post-secondary training.15 Occupations requiring higher education attainment are projected to grow much faster (thus, providing more jobs) than those with lower education requirements. Evidence suggests that community college and two-year associate degrees can provide returns similar to a four-year degree while being more accessible. Researchers have estimated that earning community college credit alone increases earnings significantly, regardless of whether an individual completes a degree.

Q: What types of jobs are barred to people with criminal records?

A: At the federal level, there are a growing number of mandated occupational bans for individuals with criminal records. For example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) broadly bars individuals from employment at banks or insurance companies who have felony convictions (subject to a case-by-case waiver). Also, the Patriot Act restricts individuals with criminal records from working at airports and railroads and transporting hazardous materials.

Other restrictions vary from state to state, but often prohibit work in childcare, security, education, and direct patient care. In some jurisdictions, these barriers may be lifted if an individual can demonstrate rehabilitation.†

Although it is hard to generalize, individuals with criminal records and limited job skills or education often find employment in food services, building maintenance, manual labor, construction, factories and warehouses, and customer service.

Q: What role do background checks play in the hiring process? How can a job-seeker mitigate the effect of having a criminal record?

A: According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), at least 80 percent of private employers now use criminal background checks as part of their hiring processes.16 More than 800 background check companies and reporting agencies now exist in the United States. The information provided by these companies generally comes from state repositories, courts, state and local databases, and the National Crime Information Center.

Information provided to employers may contain errors from source materials, identity theft, or mistakes made by the reporting agencies. Common errors include (i) cases that were supposed to be sealed, but were not; (ii) arrests that did not lead to court case filings; (iii) warrants for arrests that were, or should have been, vacated, but are still reported on the "rap sheet;" (iv) missing resolutions, results, and decisions of court cases; and (v) specific convictions that are reported incorrectly.

Job-seekers should request a copy of their own criminal records and review them for mistakes, including missing information (some local organizations, including law school clinics, may be available to help in this process).‡ Errors should be reported to the reporting agency for prompt action and/or investigation. The reporting agency is required by law to change the disputed information if it is inaccurate.

Federal regulations provide the following protections in regard to background checks: (i) reporting companies must provide individuals with notice if a background check contains information that may have an adverse effect on the applicants' ability to obtain employment when submitted to an employer; (ii) arrests more than seven years old are not required to be reported if the arrests resulted in no convictions; and (iii) if an employer plans to take an adverse employment action based on the background report, the employer must give the applicant or employee a copy and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) "Summary of Consumer Rights" before taking the adverse action.

In addition, job-seekers should make efforts to have their arrest and conviction records sealed and expunged, if permitted to do so by state law. This can reduce the length and seriousness of the applicant's criminal history.§

Q: What employment protections do individuals with criminal records have?

A: Employers are permitted to ask about and consider conviction records—and in some cases, arrest records—when making employment decisions. Both the federal government (through Equal Employment Opportunity Commission policy) and several states (through state law) provide employment discrimination protection for people with criminal records. These policies and laws require employers to make individual determinations about the appropriateness of hiring someone, rather than permitting employers to have blanket bans on hiring anyone with a criminal record. In particular, they require employers to consider the relationship between the job the person is seeking and his or her criminal record.

A handful of states and several local jurisdictions have laws or policies that prohibit questions on job applications about criminal history, as well as prevent the use of criminal background checks until an individual is in the final stages of the hiring process. These types of regulations, popularly known as "ban the box" initiatives, are intended to ensure that individuals are fairly judged on their merits when pursuing employment. These regulations may apply to private or governmental entities.

Q: How should job-seekers respond to questions regarding past convictions?

A: Many job-seekers struggle to explain their criminal records to potential employers. Inaccurate information or an omission may disqualify individuals from employment. In live interviews, interviewees should respond in the following ways to questions about criminal convictions: (i) acknowledge the previous mistakes in a concise and businesslike way; (ii) mention any relevant skills or interests developed while in prison or prior to entering prison; and (iii) reinforce a commitment and an interest in the new job, by stating, for example, "I'm more mature now and my top priority is to work at [company] to use my abilities, focus on the work, and make a fresh start." Applicants should be familiar with their criminal history to answer accurately specific questions on job applications and in interviews.

Q: What liability concerns do employers face if they hire people with criminal records and what can they do to protect themselves?

A: Employers may be reluctant to hire job applicants with criminal records. In a survey of 3,000 employers in four major urban areas (Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, and Los Angeles), only 40 percent said they would consider hiring a person with a criminal record.17 One of the primary reasons offered by employers is fear of incurring liability if they hire someone who then commits a crime on the job.

Generally, in determining whether an employer is liable for negligent hiring, courts will determine whether the employer could have foreseen the crime. They will consider whether the employee had a history or propensity for harmful behaviors and whether the employer knew or should have known about them. An employer's reasonable efforts to determine whether the applicant's criminal record poses a risk or is related to his or her fulfilling the requirements of the job will minimize liability. Some states have enacted legislation to protect employers from incurring liability if they adhere to their state's policies in appropriately considering the applicant's criminal record during the hiring process.**

Q: What barriers exist for youth returning to school from the juvenile justice system?

A: For youth, attendance at school is a strong protective factor against delinquency; youth who attend school are much less likely to commit crime in the short term and also in the long-term. Yet, more than half of youth in secure placements have not completed the eighth grade and two-thirds of those leaving formal custody do not return to school.18

Despite the strong connection of school truancy and dropping out to delinquency, school administrators sometimes challenge reenrollment in school for youth leaving detention because these youth are considered difficult to manage. School district administrators also may feel pressured to discourage reenrollment for youth coming from detention facilities to help their schools meet academic and safety performance goals. Moreover, even if these youth are reenrolled, in many instances their schoolwork completed in detention is not counted toward credit completion requirements in the school where they return.

Q: What are common needs among previously incarcerated job-seekers?

A: The chance that individuals with a criminal record will successfully obtain and retain a job is significantly improved if the broad array of their needs are met. Programs that focus exclusively on employment should ensure that the following areas are addressed:

• Counseling: Formerly incarcerated individuals often need guidance, coaching, and reassurance on very significant life-issues that they may be facing, including reconnecting with family members. Certain types of evidence-based counseling such as cognitive-behavioral programs have also proven effective in correcting certain core and underlying beliefs that may contribute to "criminal thinking."
• Stable Housing: Many formerly incarcerated individuals do not have a stable and permanent place to live and rely on informal networks for their housing. Others enter the shelter system or other transitional housing to the extent that it is available. Disruptions in living conditions due to frequent moves can hurt job performance.
• Child Support: Most formerly incarcerated people are male, and many are non-custodial fathers known to the child support system. Child support payments and arrears that may have accumulated during incarceration can serve as a barrier to entering the legitimate labor market. Practitioners often work with clients toward managing or decreasing child support obligations by petitioning the courts and/or encouraging the client to talk with the other parent.
• Substance Abuse, Health, and Mental Health: Many people involved in the criminal justice system have drug and alcohol issues and other health and mental health challenges that can impede successful employment. These needs must be addressed according to the severity of the condition. For example, some individuals with substance use issues may be able to work and attend outpatient treatment simultaneously, whereas others may need to be in residential treatment before being able to secure employment.

Q: What are One-Stop Career Centers and how can they help foster successful reentry?

A: One-Stop Career Centers are designed to provide a full range of assistance to job-seekers in a single location. The One-Stop Career Center system was established under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA) and is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration (ETA).

One-Stop Centers are located in almost every community across the nation. The centers offer training referrals, career counseling, job listings, and similar employment-related services. Clients can visit a center in person or connect to its website. There are more than 2,900 Comprehensive and Affiliate One-Stop Career Centers in the United States. Job-seekers with criminal records are eligible for services under the WIA. Many One-Stops and their partners have trained staff to assist these individuals in overcoming barriers to training and employment.

Local reentry staff or offender workforce specialists are encouraged to develop partnerships or working agreements with local One-Stop Centers to better serve formerly incarcerated people in their communities.

One-Stops offer three levels of assistance for job-seekers:

• Core Services: Tools to assist job-seekers in conducting an effective job search.
• Intensive Services: More in-depth job search and career management assistance to eligible adults, including dislocated workers.
• Training Services: Instruction provided through a cooperative planning process between eligible clients and One-Stop staff. Eligible adults in need of training services have access to provider information. Participants use individual training account (ITA) vouchers to reserve slots from pre-approved training program providers.

Q: What role can community colleges play in providing job training and education to formerly incarcerated persons?

A: Community colleges provide 68 percent of all postsecondary education in correctional facilities.19 Most have an open-access admissions policy that caters to nontraditional students. Many emphasize practical course offerings that are diverse and tailored to meet the needs of the local population. These may include industry-recognized certification programs for those continuing their professional development in fields such as plumbing and electrical work, along with placement services. Partnerships between community colleges and corrections can be mutually beneficial by providing funding sources for the school and access to education for inmates.

Q: What restrictions exist for people with criminal records in obtaining college loans?

A: In 1994, students incarcerated in state and federal prisons were no longer eligible for Pell Grants, which had previously been the primary source of funding for higher education programs in prison facilities. Some states have developed new funding opportunities or loan programs to fill the gap. For the most part, though, post-secondary programs available to people in prison are privately funded.

Once released, formerly incarcerated people re-gain eligibility for Pell Grants and federal financial aid if they have not been convicted of a drug-related offense. The length of the bar for individuals with drug-related convictions depends on the type of offense and whether it is a first-time conviction. However, once the individual completes certain substance abuse treatment programs and passes two random drug tests, his or her eligibility for financial aid may be reinstated before the end of the barred period.

Q: Why should child support issues be addressed as part of job-readiness preparation?

A: The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that more than half of state inmates and almost two-thirds of federal inmates have a minor child.20 Many of these parents will owe child support or be sought in connection with a child support case. Child support payments do not automatically stop when someone is unemployed, incapacitated, or incarcerated. One study of formerly incarcerated individuals estimated that individuals leaving prison would owe $16,000 in child support debt.21 This would be in addition to any fees, fines, and restitution that might have been levied by the court in conjunction with the individual's conviction.*

Child support enforcement tools are very efficient. Employers have to report every new employee that links to a database operated by the child support program. The enforcement agency also has access to location information drawn from employers' reports of quarterly wages and from employee databases run by federal agencies. Once a parent owing child support is located, their wages are garnished to pay any current monthly support they owe and a portion of any past due child support. Up to 60 percent of a paycheck can be garnished. In addition, bank accounts can be seized, tax refunds withheld, and drivers licenses revoked. This strict enforcement can be a disincentive to entering the legitimate labor force.

Most parents want to pay their child support. But they also need money to pay their rent and buy food and clothing for themselves. Many child support programs have policies and procedures to help low-income parents, including those who have been incarcerated, get their child support debt under control. Often, child support agencies are more willing to help parents who are involved in a program to get their lives on the right track. Reentry employment program staff can work with their local child support agency to help parents manage their debt and support their children.

Q: What other stakeholders can play a role in addressing the education and employment needs of people with criminal records?

A: Business: Private employers are, of course, crucial to the success of any hiring program. Reentry providers must persuade the business community that hiring people with criminal convictions makes good sense. Business organizations and coalitions can also act as political champions and advocates on reentry employment issues.

Faith-Based Community: Religious groups and leaders, faith-based organizations, and houses of worship can play a pivotal role in supporting the reentry population. Such groups will usually be closely tied to the communities that the formerly incarcerated re-enter, and may form a support network for these individuals. Religious groups emphasize second chances, responsibility, and family values and supplant less positive elements in the lives of those re-entering the community.

Community Resource and Nonprofit Centers: Resource centers can serve as a hub where formerly incarcerated individuals can access information, services, assistance, and social interaction. These may broadly include One-Stop employment centers, residential reentry centers and other nonprofit organizations serving the formerly incarcerated that provide services such as counseling, financial advice, and housing assistance. Neighborhood-focused organizations also help to form a network that supports reintegration into the community via neighborhood activities, mentoring, and various types of community-minded meetings that give the re-entering individual a "stake" in the overall community's well-being.

Residential Reentry Centers: Most people leaving federal prisons and many leaving state prisons transition to the community through structured residential programs that provide strict accountability, access to services, support in finding employment, and supervision. These residential programs are typically of short duration (e.g., three months), but assist people who are leaving prison with employment, family reunification, treatment services, and a graduated reentry to the community. Reentry centers may provide housing for these individuals both before and after their release.

Q: What are some key tools for screening and assessing skills and abilities among formerly incarcerated job-seekers?

A: Career assessments can help individuals identify their goals and let job placement agencies appraise their needs and skill levels. Screening and assessment tools allow job agencies to determine appropriate placements. Assessments can take two forms: 1) In informal or semi-formal assessments, a case manager or job developer interviews the job-seeker about career goals and background, and notes his or her needs and skill level; 2) In formal assessments, a case manager or job developer tests the individual's basic skills and career potential and then uses labor market research to match him or her to a potential job.

The following formal assessment tools are commonly used:†

• Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE): Assessment for reading and math levels (http://www.tabetest.com/).
• Career Scope: A computer-based interest and aptitude assessment (http://www.vri.org/products/careerscope-v10/benefits).
• O*Net: A free online interest and aptitude assessment (http://www.onetonline.org/).
• Barriers to Employment Success Inventory (BESI): An assessment tool for specific hard-to-serve target populations (http://www.jist.com/shop/web/online-assessments/tests-available/besi-online).
• Offender Assessment System (OASys): An assessment of, among other factors, transferable skills (http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/offender-assessment-system.htm).
• Ready-to-Work: An employee credentialing program that tests and scores job skills and work habits.

Practitioners can also place individuals in transitional jobs to assess and evaluate basic work skills (showing up on time, cooperating with supervisors and co-workers, etc.) by actually observing people working prior to placement in a full-time job. A transitional job serves not only as an assessment tool, but also allows for development and growth within a real-world work environment. A transitional job provides the basic building blocks of job experience such as punctuality and working cooperatively with others. Often, these may be the first "official" jobs that clients have ever held, and can provide a sense of self-worth and build readiness for interviews with full-time employers.

Q: What are some essential ingredients that foster job readiness among formerly incarcerated job-seekers?

A: Motivation to work: Do clients have a genuine interest in finding jobs and working at them? Motivation can be the key to successful placement regardless of skill level or work history.

Availability: What commitments do formerly incarcerated people face upon release that may prevent them from holding full-time jobs? Formerly incarcerated people often need to see their parole officers, and may also be mandated to attend drug rehabilitation, education/training classes, and community service assignments. Housing and health issues may also require individuals' attention during regular work hours.

Interviewing skills: Strong interviewing skills are an excellent way to combat any potential employer bias. Reentry practitioners should train their clients to maintain good posture and appropriate eye contact. Clients should also refrain from using slang and be appropriately groomed and dressed for their interviews. Clients should practice explaining their conviction to prospective employers in a succinct, honest, and respectful way.

No open court cases or appointments: A formerly incarcerated individual who still has pending court or trial dates will be a much less attractive job candidate, regardless of the merits of the case. Practitioners should work with clients to resolve such issues before sending clients on interviews.

Consistency and patience: In tough economic times such as these, practitioners and their clients need to show mutual patience and understanding during the job-search process. Trust and cooperation may grow slowly.

"Soft Skills": Life skills are crucial in today's labor market. Professionalism, the ability to collaborate, oral communication skills, and problem-solving abilities are highly sought after by employers. Research shows that these soft skills can be just as important an indicator of job performance as expertise and knowledge.

Having realistic expectations: "What would you be willing to do right now?" may often be the crucial question for a client who needs immediate income, with a "career-track" job as a longer-term goal. Reentry practitioners may also consider a strategy of providing access to temporary and transitional jobs, which can at least tide their clients over until a permanent position is found. Maintaining a realistic perspective allows for productive relationships between practitioners and job-seekers and improves planning and placements.

Q: What should reentry planners keep in mind when it comes to recruiting (and sustaining partnerships with) employers to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?

A: Identify appropriate sectors and industries: Practitioners should always seek employers who may be likely to provide a formerly incarcerated individual with a chance at employment. For example, nonprofit companies and small businesses may be more likely to have flexible hiring procedures than large or more bureaucratic corporate entities. Practitioners also should consider market conditions in various industries when searching for viable jobs. The availability of certain entry-level positions often can depend on the robustness of the market. Practitioners would be well-advised to focus on growing and expanding industries or sectors that are more recession-resistant.

Focus on the employers' bottom line: Reentry practitioners must guide employers to those individuals whose hirings represent good business decisions. The practitioner must engage in a dialogue with the employer that emphasizes why the client is the "right employee for the job." It is also crucial for practitioners to be knowledgeable about and be able to complete the paperwork associated with tax credits and similar incentives available to employers who hire formerly incarcerated individuals. These incentives should come at no cost (money or labor) to the employer to maximize the appeal of hiring individuals with a criminal record. Practitioners should also emphasize that they can serve as human resource intermediaries-helping avoid costs associated with recruiting, labor associated with multiple interviews, and turnover costs-which makes good business sense for companies without human resources departments (like many small businesses). Intermediaries should be ready to send a new candidate to interview immediately if a potential hire does not work out, thus saving the employer time and money.

Identify employers willing to hire: Locating potential employers often begins with networking and cold calls. Experienced practitioners often conduct a continuous search for potential new employers, even outside work hours. This includes monitoring local publications and trade journals that advertise businesses in prospective fields. Online listings such as craigslist.com and monster.com can be helpful resources as well. Practitioners should request that cooperative employers provide hiring referrals to their suppliers, partners, customers, or even competitors, if possible.

Sustaining relationships: Practitioners should keep in contact with employers by checking in regularly with both the employer and the client. In addition to maintaining contact, employers will appreciate the sense of security that comes with knowing that a practitioner is on hand to help privately advise and guide the new employee through work and life issues. This type of support provides a natural conduit for a practitioner to receive information from an employer regarding their ongoing employment and hiring needs. The reentry practitioner should continuously send candidates to businesses that have previously hired and/or promoted individuals with criminal records.

Q: What benefits are available to employers who hire formerly incarcerated individuals?

A: The following financial incentives are commonly available to employers who hire a job applicant with a criminal record:

• Work Opportunity Tax Credits: Available to private employers who hire targeted groups of traditionally underemployed workers, including people with criminal records. The maximum credit available as of January 2011 is $2,400 per new worker per employee at a single place of employment. Also, some states offer state-level tax credits.‡
• Welfare-to-Work Tax Credits: Open to private employers to hire long-term welfare recipients, including people with criminal records. An employer can claim up to 35 percent of an employee's first-year wages. In addition, employers may be eligible to receive Workforce Investment Act (WIA) assistance, including on-the-job training and welfare-to-work wage subsidies, if they are willing to train and provide work experience to individuals with a criminal record.
• Federal Bonding Program: Protection for employers against theft or fraudulent actions of "at-risk" populations, including individuals with criminal records. The Federal Bonding Program issues fidelity bonds that act as insurance policies that will cover losses to employers or employment agencies. These instruments become effective immediately upon employment and are free to the employer. Because they serve as protections and incentives for hiring, reentry practitioners should be familiar with how to procure them for employers and their clients.§

Q: What are the most effective ways to ensure formerly incarcerated employees remain employed?

A: A client's interest in the job, company, or their work responsibilities will go a long way to increase the length of their job retention. They are more likely to be interested in the job if it pays more than minimum wage and has wage growth potential. The reality for job-seekers is that minimum wage employment is likely to be viewed as interchangeable.

Reentry practitioners can directly influence the retention rate for placed clients through support services. These services can include counseling to help previously incarcerated individuals focus on their jobs (e.g., family counseling, managing housing, and addressing health issues that interfere with work). They should help participants develop long-term plans to gain skills and education and to move up to higher paying employment. Practitioners should regularly communicate frankly with placed clients regarding on-the-job issues. They should examine each client's weaknesses and strengths in the skills required at work, his or her punctuality, and/or relationships with co-workers. With time and trust, these discussions may also evolve into general counseling and guidance on issues such as budgeting, finances, housing, health, and living situations. These follow-up job-retention activities are meant to prevent clients from feeling they were suddenly "dropped" after placement; instead they provide vital continuity of support for the newly employed.

Q: What are the hard and soft skills that are most useful for formerly incarcerated job-seekers?

A: Employment needs and trends are distinct to various regions and states. Hard skills training should focus on filling business needs and positions of employers in particular sectors that are available or predicted to become available over time. Work is more accessible to people who are properly trained to meet these specific business needs.

A significant percentage of the workforce is expected to retire over the next 10 years, creating an opportunity for people with criminal records to backfill those jobs. Even with the economic shifts that have taken place and the outsourcing of low-skilled jobs, there will still be job openings in fields that are highly technical, but do not require a four-year college education. Research also has highlighted the importance of trending away from large-scale industrial work and toward customer service work that involves more interpersonal and cognitive skill development.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 stimulus package was created to generate jobs and provide training to traditionally under—and unemployed workers, including those with criminal records. The U.S. Department of Labor has focused on green jobs training. Many of the green jobs will be in construction, manufacturing, and warehousing. These are fields that could provide ample opportunities for advancement and increased wage earnings for people with criminal records.

Particular "soft skills" that employers routinely look for include the following:

• Effective communications (verbal, written, listening)
• Computer affinity
• Flexibility/adaptability
• Leadership and management potential
• Problem solving and creative thinking
• Ability to collaborate and work in teams
• Positive attitude
• Timeliness
• Attendance
• Demonstrated commitment to do well and advance

Q: What are the most effective ways to help formerly incarcerated employees move up a career ladder?

A: Certain entry-level positions in which an individual with a criminal record is placed may offer room for advancement and promotion. An individual in such a situation should seek on-the-job training to acquire advanced skill sets and develop job stability by staying on the job.

Reentry practitioners should help formerly incarcerated employees move up the career ladder by working with them to build their skills outside of their workplace as well. With the assistance of community colleges, technical institutes, and nonprofits, a worker can gain skills and entry into different and higher paying trades. This model of training, which can be attained while employed, offers a tailored educational path for clients who may have been initially placed in an entry-level position. The result can be increased literacy; math, mechanical, and electrical skills; and other expertise that can advance career pathways.

Q: What are the key skills needed by front-line staff for an employment program serving formerly incarcerated clients?

A: Line-staff positions in which practitioners must engage program participants require different skill sets than those that involve outreach to employers and businesses. Positions that require program participant involvement include case managers, job coaches, and job-retention specialists. These positions often require skills and interests associated with human services and social work. Conversely, positions involving employer relations often require skills and interests in sales and marketing, with an understanding of business needs and business terms.

Q: Is self-employment or entrepreneurship a viable option for formerly incarcerated individuals?

A: Yes. Although there are challenges associated with starting one's own business, formerly incarcerated people—like others—can own successful businesses. A number of programs exist to assist people with criminal records develop business plans, secure loans, and launch business ventures. Even in communities that do not benefit from these specific programs, microenterprise programs and the Small Business Administration can serve as valuable resources.