The Vera Institute of Justice, a Brooklyn, NY-headquartered nonprofit criminal justice reform think tank, has released its latest report, The Labor Market for People With Conviction Histories: An Examination of Access to Good Jobs.
This report is aimed at prisons and colleges to help them create programs that will meet the skills gap and prepare people leaving incarceration for employment. The organization asserts that having a post-secondary education — whether at a community college, trade school or four-year college or university — is necessary to obtain a job that is in high demand and pays a living wage.
Vera Institute’s ultimate goal is “to help incarcerated students, corrections officials, colleges teaching in prison, and other reentry employment and education partners identify which economic sectors to target for skill development based on demand, accessibility and earning potential.”
The report, written by four Vera Institute researchers, provides an overall view of the goals it hopes to achieve. In addition, it gives a state-by-state description of labor market trends and legal barriers and the types of jobs that are in demand in each state.
Vera provides facts that support post-secondary education
Skills development and post-secondary education are key to creating economic mobility. And here are some facts and statistics the report uses to support its assertion:
- Over the coming years, 76 percent of U.S. occupations will require post-secondary education of one form or another.
- A skills gap is contributing to a serious worker shortage, with 6.5 million U.S. unemployed workers, but 8.5 million job openings.
- About 750,000 people in prison have high school or GED diplomas.
- The reinstatement of Pell Grants for incarcerated students can be an impetus for increasing post-secondary education in prisons.
The audiences for this Vera Institute research
Vera Institute researchers began this study at the end goal – a good job – and worked backwards to determine which jobs are in high demand and legally accessible in each state. That way prison and educators can decide which programs and credentials they should invest in.
The report supplies information for several different audiences:
- Students, so they’ll know where to spend their Pell grant funds and prepare for occupations.
- Departments of corrections and post-secondary educational institutions to help them decide which programs and credentials they might want to offer.
- Employers, who need to understand the legal and regulatory barriers that might affect their hiring process.
The researchers used three questions to gather information:
- Which occupations in each state is expected to show growth and pay a living wage at the time of hiring?
- Which of these occupations require post-secondary education?
- Which of these jobs are open to applicants with felony convictions?
Most common good jobs across the nation
Although the research results are broken down by states, the Vera Institute report also includes the most frequently identified good jobs overall in each category.
The top three nationwide for those with a post-secondary nondegree certificate are computer numerically controlled tool programmers, surgical technologists, and electrical and electronics repairers for commercial and industrial equipment.
The top three for those with an associate’s degree are diagnostic medical sonographers, paralegal and legal assistants and computer network support specialists.
The top three for those with a bachelor’s degree are medical and health services managers, information security analysts and logisticians.
Most frequently excluded good jobs across the nation
The Vera Institute report also includes the most frequently identified jobs that are excluded in each category. The fact that they are excluded often has to do with state licensure requirements.
The top three frequently excluded good jobs for those with a post-secondary nondegree certificate are aircraft mechanics and service technicians, first-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers, and licensed practical and vocational nurses.
The top three for those with an associate’s degree are physical therapist assistants, respiratory therapists and occupational therapy assistants.
The researchers found that the frequency of exclusion was far less for those with bachelor’s degrees, for whom it seems having a felony conviction is somewhat less restrictive. Even so, the top three are actuaries, financial examiners and financial managers.
Vera Institute report offers recommendations
As a result of the research the organization conducted and its experience with prison education programs, Vera has come up with a set of recommendations for correctional institution education providers and employers:
- Prison education programs should offer sound higher education systems that give students choices in what they study, so that they can obtain good jobs.
- Prison officials should ensure that they are not providing education for jobs that require licensure that bars those with felony convictions.
- Prison education programs should include staff to provide quality academic and career advising.
- Labor needs and opportunities should be key considerations when deciding which programs to offer.
- In order to make more informed programming decisions and create better advising practices, colleges and corrections institutions should create relationships with workforce development boards, industry associations and state departments of labor.
- Program organizers should engage with employers to create career pipelines that begin in prison and lead to jobs upon release.
Appendix highlights good jobs in each state
An appendix to the report provides information for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The listing for each state includes the top five accessible good jobs for each of the three educational categories: post-secondary non-degree, associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree.
It also includes the number of each state’s policies related to business licensure, employment, and occupational and professional licensure and certification.
Another appendix lists the 98 occupations that the Vera researchers identified as good jobs. It includes the occupation’s title, a description of that occupation and examples of the types of jobs considered part of each occupation.
Editor’s note: This Vera Institute report is a valuable resource for those involved in post-secondary prison education programs, community-based organizations supporting individuals in reentry and job seekers with conviction histories. It provides insights into in-demand jobs, the education and training required for them, and which of these jobs are accessible to applicants with felony convictions. This information helps educators, reentry professionals and individuals engaged in their own career planning make informed decisions. If you know someone who could benefit from this resource, please share this article so they can learn how to develop or improve their career pathway.
