FROM PRISON TO PRODUCTIVITY: WHY YOU SHOULD HIRE FORMERLY INCARCERATED PEOPLE

Abstract

AbstractThe author, who leads Transformation Solutions for Mercer US and Canada, discusses a timely and potentially controversial topic: hiring formerly incarcerated people, a group that has a disproportionately high unemployment rate. However, she points out that structural elements in the U.S. economy mean that organizations will continue to search for qualified workers: “Labor force participation remains below pre‐pandemic levels; the labor force is expected to grow at a far slower rate than in previous decades.” She points to hiring research and reporting at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Illinois Prison Project, and claims that formerly incarcerated people are not risky hires, and that they are more loyal employees with unique talents. However, it is not that simple: “hiring and retaining this group is far more complicated than simply focusing on them.” She offers hiring strategies such as, “To open up your organization to hire more formerly incarcerated people, you need to also figure out the hidden blockers – what do you assume is needed for roles on your team that might not be needed (but doesn’t formally appear on the job description)?” In addition, “you have to ensure that the very mechanics of the process of getting hired don’t exclude them (even if they technically qualify for the role).”