ABSTRACT
A plethora of studies on justice-involved individuals has focused on their employment achievement and barriers before and after incarceration. However, participation in employment during incarceration has received limited research attention. Using data from the evaluation of the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) program, the largest male prisoner data in the U.S., the current study explores incarcerated individuals’ active participation in prison service and industry during incarceration. Specifically, we examine whether race impacts one's likelihood of being hired during incarceration, and whether race intersects with education level and criminal history to affect justice-involved individuals’ chances to participate in institutional work programs. The results show that Hispanic individuals are significantly less likely to be employed than their White peers. Furthermore, the benefit of education is race specific. A relatively higher level of education had a more positive impact on employment for White individuals compared to Black and Hispanic individuals. Implications for services and programs that improve incarcerated individuals’ mental health are presented.
