This study explored how employers perceive desistance in the process of hiring ex-offenders for high-quality positions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten employers consisting of Human Resources (HR) professionals, hiring managers, and recruiters from organizations throughout the U.S. with the legal ability to hire individuals with…

According to the United States Department of Justice (2017), over 10,000 formerly incarcerated individuals are released each week from federal and state prisons. Approximately two-thirds of this population will be re-arrested within three years of release. Although employment has been found to reduce recidivism, the majority of formerly…

Using data from two of the most recognized studies on the incarcerated population, the "U.S. PIAAC Survey of Incarcerated Adults" and a comprehensive evaluation by the RAND Corporation for the Bureau of Justice Assistance, as well as insights from interviews with leading experts in the U.S. penal system and his own observations made over…

The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-199) represented a historic piece of legislation designed to improve outcomes for and provide a comprehensive response to the increasing number of individuals who are released from prisons, jails, and juvenile residential facilities, and returning to communities upon release. The Second Chance Act's…