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Incarceration and Prisoner Reentry in the United States

Author

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  • Steven Raphael

    (University of California, Berkeley)

Abstract

This article addresses the reentry challenges faced by low-skilled men released from U.S. prisons. The author empirically characterizes the increases in incarceration occurring since 1970 and assesses the degree to which these changes result from changes in policy as opposed to changes in criminal behavior. The author discusses what is known about the children of inmates and the likelihood that a child in the United States has an incarcerated parent. The article then addresses the employment barriers that former prison inmates face, with a particular emphasis on how employers view criminal records in screening job applicants. Finally, the author discusses a number of alternative models for aiding the reentry of former inmates. Transitional cash assistance, the use of reentry plans, traditional workforce development efforts, and transitional jobs for former inmates all are among the tools used across the United States. The author reviews the existing evaluation literature on the effectiveness of these programmatic interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Raphael, 2011. "Incarceration and Prisoner Reentry in the United States," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 635(1), pages 192-215, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:635:y:2011:i:1:p:192-215
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716210393321
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Devah Pager, 2003. "The mark of a criminal record," Natural Field Experiments 00319, The Field Experiments Website.
    2. Charles D. Mallar & Craig V. D. Thornton, 1978. "Transitional Aid for Released Prisoners: Evidence from the Life Experiment," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 13(2), pages 208-236.
    3. Holzer, Harry J & Raphael, Steven & Stoll, Michael A, 2006. "Perceived Criminality, Criminal Background Checks, and the Racial Hiring Practices of Employers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 49(2), pages 451-480, October.
    4. Jeffrey R. Kling, 2006. "Incarceration Length, Employment, and Earnings," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(3), pages 863-876, June.
    5. Peter Z. Schochet & John Burghardt & Steven Glazerman, 2001. "National Job Corps Study: The Impacts of Job Corps on Participants' Employment and Related Outcomes," Mathematica Policy Research Reports db6c4204b8e1408bb0c6289ec, Mathematica Policy Research.
    6. repec:mpr:mprres:2951 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. LePage, James P. & Walters, Scott T. & Cipher, Daisha J. & Crawford, April M., 2023. "Development and evaluation of an online vocational program for veterans with legal convictions and psychiatric illness," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

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