Knowledge Bank

This literature review considers the impact of employment programs on recidivism. There has been a dramatic rise in the numbers of those who have histories of incarceration in the United States. A review of the literature in this area of research reveals that many of the evaluations end with findings of “no statistical significance” concerning the effect of employment programs for ex-offenders on recidivism. This review concludes by suggesting that experimental and quasi experimental research may yield findings of greater impacts toward reducing recidivism and showing more instances of statistical significance. Specifically there is the need for the following: 1) Research on the impact of employment programs on recidivism needs to be conducted in fields with non-exclusionary hiring policies and hiring practices toward ex-offenders. 2) Employment programs offering financial assistance must be at a level that does not provide a disincentive to work. 3) Job placements offered by employment programs should be for work offering livable wages (not minimum wage). 4) Employment programs need to offer individualized treatment based on relevant variables such as age, marital status, race, risk level and length of incarceration. 5) Employment programs should offer a cognitive behavioral/thinking intervention as part of their services.