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More Than One in Four Formerly Incarcerated Individuals are Unemployed Nationwide, According to New Report

Finding a job after completing a prison sentence is absolutely crucial to successfully reentering society. But a new report from the Prison Policy Institute confirms what we’ve always known: that the structural barriers to finding work for folks coming home from prison are significant.

According to the study, 27% of formerly incarcerated people are unemployed—that’s five times the unemployment rate of the general public. Yet, formerly incarcerated people want to work: 93% of formerly incarcerated people are actively looking for jobs.

The study also found that employers call formerly incarcerated applicants back 50% less often than they do applicants without histories of incarceration.

These concerning findings underscore the need for holistic, work-oriented programs like Ready, Willing & Able, which immediately provide paid work opportunities for people reentering society and improves overall rates of employment for formerly incarcerated individuals.