Employment and Crime: What is the Problem and What Can be Done About it From the Inmate's Perspective?

• NCJ Number: 191882
• Journal: Corrections Management Quarterly Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: Fall 2001 Pages: 46-52
• Author(s): Martha L. Henderson
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 7 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the relationship between employment, crime, and prison programming.

Abstract

A sample of 480 inmates was surveyed at intake with regard to their employment history, the perception that the inability to find a job causes crime, and their willingness to participate in job skills programs while incarcerated. Although the majority of the inmates were employed in the year before incarceration, they still claimed that inability to find a job causes some individuals to commit crime. At the beginning phase of their incarceration, the inmates were willing to participate in job skills programs offered in institutions. The article suggests further research on: (1) inmate skills and abilities before incarceration and inmate perceptions of employment availability in their neighborhoods; (2) longitudinal studies to determine whether inmates who state their willingness to participate in job skills programs actually do so; and (3) assessing the impact of employment programs on postrelease employment and recidivism. Tables, references, notes