Where Do Ex-Offenders Find Jobs?: An Industrial Profile of the Employers of Ex-Offenders in Virginia

• NCJ Number: 216822
• Journal: Journal of Correctional Education Volume: 57 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2006 Pages: 297-311
• Author(s): Eric Lichtenberger
• Date Published: December 2006
• Length: 15 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study identified the industries where ex-offenders released from Virginia correctional institutions were more likely to gain and subsequently maintain employment.

Abstract

From fiscal year 1999 to fiscal year 2003, ex-offenders tended to be employed in five core industries: (1) administrative and support services, (2) construction, (3) accommodation and food services, (4) manufacturing, and (5) retail trade. Focusing on the first fiscal quarter of 2003, the rank ordering of the industries, in terms of the number of ex-offenders hired, was the same. Although employers within the administrative and support services industry hired the most ex-offenders in the first quarter of 2003, employers in the construction and manufacturing industries employed a greater number of ex-offenders on a full-time basis. Ex-offenders are less likely to work in industries composed of occupations that are professional, or require stringent licensing or mandatory background checks, provide needed services to the public, or require significant educational achievement. In the first fiscal quarter of 2003, the two professional industries within Virginia with the greatest number of workers on their payroll were health care and public administration. It would be reasonable to conclude that these same industries would employ the greatest number of ex-offenders. The earning records of ex-offenders provide an informational link to specific employers and have the potential to help determine the extent to which employers, collectively based on industry, have previously hired ex-offenders. This information can potentially be used to aid ex-offenders in the transition process, allowing them to narrow their search for potential employers. Based on an examination of the earnings records of ex-offenders released from Virginia correctional institutions from fiscal year 1999 to 2003, this article provides an industrial profile testing the presumption that most ex-offenders are only able to find employment in low-level occupations, with low rates of job retention and limited customer contact. References