PUBLICATION ADVISORY

BJS Releases Work Assignments Reported by Prisoners, 2016

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, a division of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, today released Work Assignments Reported by Prisoners, 2016.

This statistical brief presents findings on work assignments among federal and state prisoners while incarcerated. The brief report provides statistics on whether prisoners were required to have a work assignment, the types of work they performed while incarcerated, and reasons they chose to have a work assignment if one was not required.

In a statement, BJS Director Alex Piquero, PhD, said, “A key finding in this report is that over two-thirds of respondents who were not required to work stated that learning new job skills was a very important reason in their decision to work while in prison, underscoring the fact that they see employment as critical to their post-release reentry.”

Report findings are based on data collected in the most recent Survey of Prison Inmates, which was conducted in 2016 through face-to-face interviews with a national sample of federal and state prisoners.

About the Bureau of Justice Statistics

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating reliable statistics on crime and criminal justice in the United States. Alexis R. Piquero, PhD, is the director.

About the Office of Justice Programs

The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, grants, training, technical assistance and other resources to improve the nation’s capacity to prevent and reduce crime, advance racial equity in the administration of justice, assist victims and enhance the rule of law. More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.

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OFFICE: bjs.ojp.gov
CONTACT: OJP Media at [email protected]