INVESTIGATING PRISONER REENTRY: THE IMPACT OF CONVICTION STATUS ON THE EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS OF YOUNG MEN

This research focuses on the reentry of offenders after release from incarceration by examining employment barriers facing men with criminal records. The empirical core of the project is a randomized field experiment that sends matched teams of testers to apply for 1000 entry-level jobs in New York City. The experiment observes how employers respond to applicants who are equally qualified but vary by race, ethnicity, education (high school versus a two-year degree) and criminal record. Because the research design allows the grantee to finely control characteristics of job seekers, the data can yield unusually clear and convincing evidence of the impact of a criminal record. Following the experimental portion of the study, all employers will be surveyed by telephone. In addition, semi-structured face-to-face interviews with a subsample of employers will be conducted. Combining experiment data with interview data offers a unique opportunity to study the hiring process from both the job seeker's and employer's point of view. Policies and practices focusing on general education, prerelease training, and job readiness for inmates as well as efforts to better educate the employers who receive them will be directly informed by the results of this multi-stage investigation.