Prison time and criminal records can be blockades for people trying to re-enter the workforce. Most jobs run background checks or ask if you have ever committed a criminal offense. Should we forgive and accept those who have served their sentence? Or should they still be considered dangerous? The general labor pool is dissipating, and companies are having to hire those with criminal records. Some of the fastest-growing careers for those newly out of jail are in manufacturing and labor-heavy jobs.
Work release programs
Some prisons utilize work release programs. These programs allow inmates who are due to be released from prison shortly to go into the community during the day, work, and then return to the prison facility at night. Benefits of this are helping individuals acclimate back into society while also being able to work and support themselves. It is easy for those who have not been in prison to forget that it is another world. Often people are released and do not know what to do in a society that has grown while they were away.
We need these workers
One example of a work-release program that was necessary was in Dane County, Wisconsin. The unemployment rate in November was 2 percent. Manufacturers needed to find workers, and they hired inmates at full wages to work during the day. The work got done, and the plants continued to operate.
However, not all job sites are this generous in pay. 88 percent of U.S. prisons utilize a work program of some kind, and most of the jobs they offer are located within the prison. It is different from the work release system, but the goal is the same: to teach inmates life skills, team building, and accountability. The jobs are often washing dishes, laundry service or mail delivery. The pay range is only between $0.12 and $0.40 per hour on average, and some states do not even require prisoners to be paid at all.
Luckily, there are programs that require at least minimum wage for their workers. The Prison Industry Enhancement program is one of them. They place inmates in jobs for private industries. The pay can go up to $15 for jobs requiring more manual labor, making the work worth it. This also means that when inmates’ time is up, they will actually have some funds to start life again.
Takeaway
Many believe that inmates should be able to make a small income to prepare them for release. Though inmates have committed crimes and sometimes are repeat offenders, work release is a case-by-case situation. It involves evaluations, drug and alcohol testing and examining the severity of the crime committed.
But in the spirit of forgiveness and in aid to end a cycle of re-admittance to jail, teaching work skills is valuable to those who are ready and willing. This is especially true when some of the fastest growing careers for these people are in manufacturing plants where workers are needed.
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