Now is a very weird time for the economy and job seekers in America. It is even weirder if you are justice-impacted and trying to find work. We have reams of data on this — it is harder to find a job when you have been convicted of a crime, especially a felony. And now is an important time to remind people: when someone has done their time, the punishment should be over. There should not be a second sentence. There should not be a lifetime scarlet letter.
95%
Of people sent to prison will reenter their communities
Congressional Research Service
27–35%
Unemployment rate among formerly incarcerated people shortly after release
Prison Policy Initiative
600+
Documented collateral consequences of felony conviction affecting employment and licensing in Michigan
National Inventory of Collateral Consequences
It is in the best interest of our communities to create pathways to success — not because it is charitable, but because it is practical. A person who cannot find work after release is more likely to reoffend. A person who finds stable employment pays taxes, supports their family, and reduces the burden on social services. This is not a moral argument. It is a math argument. And the math is not complicated.
Which is why I signed the Jobs for the Future #NoDeadEnds pledge.
“When people have done their time, the punishment should be over. There should not be a second sentence or a lifetime scarlet letter.”
The Barriers Are Real and Documented
Justice-impacted job seekers do not face a single barrier. They face an overlapping web of structural obstacles that compound each other, built into law at the federal, state, and local levels — none of which expire when a sentence ends.
Background Check Disclosure
Most job applications ask about criminal history upfront, allowing employers to screen out applicants before any interview. People with records are filtered out of consideration before they ever have a chance to demonstrate their qualifications.
Occupational Licensing Restrictions
Dozens of licensed professions — including healthcare, education, real estate, cosmetology, and contracting — carry automatic or discretionary bars for people with certain convictions. These bans often persist for life, regardless of rehabilitation.
Federal Employment Restrictions
Federal law bars people with specific convictions from federally funded positions, government contracts, and certain financial roles. These restrictions operate automatically, without review of individual circumstances.
Housing Instability
Criminal records also trigger housing restrictions — public housing bars, private landlord screening policies — that leave formerly incarcerated people without stable addresses, making employment harder to maintain even when secured.
Gap in Professional References
Years spent incarcerated produce no professional references, employment history, or verifiable work record — creating a resume gap that is difficult to explain and even harder to overcome in competitive labor markets.
Gaps in Workforce Skills and Credentials
Without adequate access to education, vocational training, or credential programs during incarceration, people reenter a labor market that has moved on without them — often lacking the digital literacy, certifications, or updated skills employers require.
Ban-the-Box: One Reform That Helps
Ban-the-box policies remove the criminal history checkbox from initial job applications, delaying the inquiry until after a first interview or conditional offer. As of 2024, over 150 cities and counties and 37 states have adopted some form of ban-the-box policy.
Research shows it meaningfully increases callback rates for applicants with records. Michigan has a partial ban-the-box policy for public employment. Private sector adoption remains inconsistent. Advocacy for stronger, broader ban-the-box legislation is one of the most concrete steps toward removing collateral employment consequences.
About Jobs for the Future and the #NoDeadEnds Pledge
Organization Profile — Jobs for the Future (JFF)
Jobs for the Future (JFF)
jff.org
JFF is a national nonprofit focused on transforming education and workforce systems to create economic advancement for all Americans. Their #NoDeadEnds initiative specifically addresses the gap between political rhetoric and workforce policy, calling on candidates at all levels of government to treat workforce and education as front-line priorities rather than afterthoughts.
From JFF on the #NoDeadEnds Pledge
“For too long, issues that affect people’s everyday lives — like the quality of education and the conditions at workplaces — are rarely mentioned in political debates and are neglected during election campaigns amidst buzzy political headlines. We’re flipping the script by advocating that all candidates running for national, state, and local office make workforce and education policies a top campaign priority. With your help, we can bring attention to the kitchen table issues that voters actually care about and achieve much-needed policy change so that all people have the boundless opportunities for economic advancement that they deserve.”
Only when we talk about the barriers can we finally develop solutions to overcome them. Workforce policy is not a niche issue. It is a public safety issue, a family stability issue, and a community health issue — and it deserves to be treated as one in every political conversation at every level of government.
Take the Pledge
The more the merrier. Join Rita and others in committing to workforce equity and education policy as a front-line political priority.
Sign the #NoDeadEnds Pledge →
Related Coverage — Reentry, Employment, and Collateral Consequences
