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Nearly one in three Americans has a record of arrest, conviction, or incarceration. The options for economic mobility for these individuals are limited because more than 40,000 federal, state, and local policies make it hard for them to get an education, earn credentials, secure housing, or qualify for good jobs—often long after they’ve served their sentences.
These barriers don’t improve public safety. They shrink the labor pool, limit economic advancement, and drain $372.3 billion in lost wages from the U.S. economy each year, states this report from Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement.
The report offers a series of recommendations for state and federal policymakers to:
- Expand access to education and training that leads to quality jobs.
- Remove counterproductive barriers to employment, licensure, and entrepreneurship.
- Ensure access to foundational supports for people returning to their communities following incarceration.
- Build data systems that promote transparency, accountability, and results.