The Post-Prison Job Market

Michigan’s Offender Success program aims to help parolees find jobs and housing

By Ross Boissoneau | May 13, 2023

Navigating life after prison can be tough, especially when job hunting. Many formerly incarcerated people face stigmas and hiring prejudice based on their past crimes, and Vice reports that “[a]ccording to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three Americans–over 100 million people–have a criminal record that impedes them from finding gainful employment after incarceration.”

That’s where the Offender Success program, an outreach project of the Michigan Department of Corrections, comes in. The program is available to individuals on parole with the goal of helping them find jobs and housing, among other things, as a means to successfully reintegrate into society.

“Typically they get very little support,” says Jessica Willis of those who have a criminal background. Willis is the chief program officer at Networks Northwest, which oversees the program in this area. “We work with employers and help to place them.”

Willis says some prospective employers believe that such individuals are not trustworthy, have no work ethic, and are not safe. “That’s a risk you take with anyone,” she says. “These individuals have a parole agent, people working with them—they have a team behind them.”

“I did 17 years in prison,” says Christian Studabaker, who has gone through the program. “When I got out, my parole agent hooked me up with the program. We worked together for two years while I was on parole.”

Closing the Gap

The Offender Success program started in 2005 under Gov. Jennifer Granholm. At that point, the recidivism rate—those returning to prison after being paroled—was almost 50 percent, and the program was designed to reduce those numbers.

Willis says when the program started, they had to work to help employers see the value in it and the positives of the population. “There’s a stigma, especially for violent crimes. Those individuals are often incredibly motivated. They want to prove they are not their crimes.”

The program addresses mental health, housing, and training. It was piloted in different areas of the state, including Traverse City, and is now offered statewide with over 300 employees. One measure of its accomplishments thus far: The recidivism rate has dropped to 23 percent. (And locally it is even lower, at 22 percent.)

Willis says the success of the program can also be measured in terms of the individual’s success in landing work and keeping it. She says 85 percent of its subjects are employed in a full-time capacity, and they boast a 52 percent retention rate. “They’re still employed one year later,” she says, which is also about the state average.

Making Changes

Another way to highlight the importance of the Offender Success initiative comes from the stories of those who have worked with the program. Chris Cook says the program gave him some of the tools he needed to be successful in life and avoid the actions that landed him in prison.

“When you come out, 99.9 percent of it is on your mentality. You can make changes or make excuses,” he says. “I wanted change. I was tired of the drug scene, making the dumb decisions. It gave me someone to talk to.”

He says the day he was released, he began filling out online applications. But he decided he could present himself better in person, so he went into a local Taco Bell and told them he had been released from prison and needed a job. “I’d said I’d never work in the fast food industry, so I fought with my ego. I said, ‘I’ll do anything,’ and worked my way up.” He subsequently found work at a sawmill, then in maintenance, and now works for Grand Traverse Construction.

Cook also credits the program with helping him find housing. And things are continuing to go well: “I met a beautiful woman, and we’re engaged and buying her parents’ place.”

Studabaker similarly lauds the program. “The people were willing to help out. We built up some rapport. I wish I could still get help,” he says, as the program only extends to the time those in it are still on parole.

While Studabaker landed a job working with an outdoor lawn care company, he’s had a more difficult time finding housing and is currently renting a room. His experience points to another challenge for those who were incarcerated. “Every place I applied [for housing] went off credit. I didn’t have good credit,” he says.

A Skilled and Talented Pipeline

Offender Success services are provided based on the parole agent’s referral, which may include but are not limited to the following: temporary transitional housing, housing supplies, on-the-job training, temporary work experience, work supplies, clothing assistance, public and private transportation assistance, and health and behavioral health services

Willis says 90 percent of those released from prison are released on parole. The program is available to all of them as long as their parole lasts, and parolees meet with one of the program’s resource specialists, who create an individualized plan for each person.

The program has become more important than ever in the last few years, not just for the individuals using it but for employers, too. The Great Resignation has seen people leaving the workforce in record numbers, and many workforce experts have highlighted the untapped potential of hiring formerly incarcerated individuals. Brian Matthews, senior vice president at Appriss Insights, a division of Equifax dedicated to growth strategy and people-based risk, says hiring those with criminal records can be a win-win.

“Not only does it build a new talent pool of workers to help address the nation’s ongoing labor shortage head-on, but it also gives a second chance to those in need,” he told CNBC Make It, the website for NBC’s financial and business cable channel. “This movement provides a great opportunity to strengthen businesses and improve inclusiveness in the workplace.”

That same article also points to the dearth of effort those in hiring positions typically make in reaching out to a segment that could provide a much-needed boost for companies looking to bolster their employee population. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, only five percent of managers and three percent of HR professionals actively recruit candidates with criminal records for open roles.

“This is a skilled and talented pipeline that can do the job and keep the job. They have support,” Willis concludes.