Education and work programs completed in prison, also known as prison credentials, provide people with opportunities to advance their skills and education during incarceration. Credentials earned in prison may reduce stigma and employment discrimination that result from the implications of incarceration by showing that a formerly incarcerated individual is qualified for work. These programs can also provide formerly incarcerated individuals with a consistent work history and a higher level of educational attainment, making them more desirable to employers.
Studies find that educational and employment programs completed in prison may increase the likelihood that formerly incarcerated individuals find jobs after their release. Yet they often do not explore how these labor market entrants use—or conceal—credentials earned in prison to improve their job prospects.
Cornell University sociologist Sadé Lindsay explores how formerly incarcerated individuals in Franklin County, Ohio choose to showcase their credentials in the labor market. Through in-depth interviews with 50 formerly incarcerated men who completed programs during their time in prison, the author finds that these job seekers face a complex decision about whether their credentials help or hurt their job prospects, deemed “the prison credential dilemma.”
Key findings
- Most interviewees could not find jobs related to their chosen field based on credentials acquired while incarcerated. Of the 50 study participants, only 2 were hired after their release based on the credentials earned while in prison, and around 60 percent were unemployed at the time of their interview. These experiences are consistent with broader findings that show how difficult job searches can be for formerly incarcerated individuals.
- More than half of interviewees pursued additional certifications after their release to supplement their skills and gain credentials outside of the criminal legal system. Unable to rely on their credentials earned during incarceration, they sought out supplementary certificates and degrees to successfully enter the labor force. Some participants reported experiencing barriers to enrollment due to discrimination against them based on their criminal records and high stress from accumulating student loan debt.
- Many participants settled for unstable, low-wage work while searching for high-quality employment or acquiring additional credentials. Some viewed these jobs as a temporary means of survival, while others saw them as a steppingstone to stable employment. Success embarking on both pathways varied for participants, leaving many in temporary, low-quality jobs at the time of the study.
- On job applications, participants often omitted or obscured the prison affiliations of their credentials in hopes of minimizing their relationship with the criminal legal system. Some individuals with previous experience and shorter sentences opted to exclude their credentials received in prison from applications entirely.
- In job interviews, participants used credentials earned in prison to provide narratives of redemption and growth when asked about their criminal records. They explained that they acknowledged their time in prison in a factual manner if asked and then quickly shifted focus to their earned credentials to manage the stigma associated with the criminal legal system. During these situations, they perceived that receiving credentials while incarcerated gave them more control over the narrative of their experiences.
- Black men in the study used strategic representations of credentials earned in prison on their resumes and during job interviews more often than white men. The author hypothesizes that formerly incarcerated Black men may use these strategies to a greater extent in anticipation of racial bias and discrimination based on their histories of incarceration. In contrast, white participants were more likely to use social networks in addition to formal job search strategies to obtain employment.
Policy and practice implications
WorkRise has identified the following implications for policy and practice:
- Entities working to credential incarcerated individuals could ensure that educational programming is formally tied to outside educational and vocational organizations. Strengthening these partnerships will not only enhance certification credibility but also allow formerly incarcerated individuals to include these credentials on resumes or job applications without disclosing their criminal records. For example, Floyd County Prison is working with Georgia Northwestern Technical College to provide Class B commercial driver’s licenses to incarcerated individuals, and the college also assists with job placement after graduation.
- Reentry specialists should ensure that formerly incarcerated individuals are connected to scholarship and grant programs at external educational institutions for continued education postrelease. Most job seekers did not feel that their credentials earned in prison were sufficient for obtaining a suitable job and therefore pursued additional education after release. Formerly incarcerated individuals should be connected to federal student aid, private scholarships, and institutional grants for which they are eligible as part of their reentry case planning.
- Professionals working in nonprofits, social services, and reentry programs could facilitate well-matched job placements for formerly incarcerated individuals soon after they exit prison. Reentry specialists and correctional officials should establish relationships with local organizations that support postrelease employment needs, including job placements, and refer formerly incarcerated individuals to their programs at the time of release. Several programs include transitional employment components, which guarantee immediate short-term employment while people find more long-term opportunities that align with their skill sets and/or credentials. Connection to prompt, high-quality employment based on job seekers’ qualifications could ensure that the prison credential dilemma does not compromise employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals.
The prison credential dilemma examined in this study illustrates just one of the many challenges that formerly incarcerated individuals face as they reenter the US labor market. By strategically presenting certificates and work experiences at different points in the hiring process, these job applicants hope that their credentials demonstrate employability without disqualifying them. Partnerships that include technical colleges providing those credentials, support navigating external educational opportunities, and appropriate job placement services may address the stigma faced by formerly incarcerated individuals when reentering the labor market.