Employment after prison: Navigating conditions of precarity and stigma
| Author | Rosemary Ricciardelli,Amy Sheppard |
| DOI | 10.1177/2066220320908251 |
| Published date | 01 April 2020 |
| Date | 01 April 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Original Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/2066220320908251
European Journal of Probation
2020, Vol. 12(1) 34 –52
© The Author(s) 2020
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/2066220320908251
journals.sagepub.com/home/ejp
Employment after prison:
Navigating conditions of
precarity and stigma
Amy Sheppard and
Rosemary Ricciardelli
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
Abstract
In an effort to extend understanding of the employment concerns faced by former
prisoners released into the community, we draw from the voices of 24 individuals
released from federal prison in Canada. We explore how the stigma imposed on
individuals with prior experiences of incarceration interacts with the employment
programming government and community-based agencies offer; particularly within the
current climate of precarious employment. Findings evidence that participants, too
often, attain employment involving manual labour and report experiencing low-wage and
non-gratifying jobs, despite participation in pre-employment programming, which drives
their re-evaluation and re-creation of career aspirations. We show how the conditions
underpinning the movement toward employment for former prisoners can encourage
the potential exploitation of their labour within both formal and informal job markets.
Keywords
Criminal history, prison, parolees, precarious employment, punishment, stigma
Introduction
Employment has long been recognized as instrumental in reducing recidivism from
crime after incarceration (Nally et al., 2014) and supporting desistance from crime for
former prisoners (Maruna, 2001; Tripodi et al., 2010). Correctional services, specifically
Correctional Services Canada (CSC), have sought to develop work and educational pro-
gramming1 both inside and outside the prison for those incarcerated and for releasees
Corresponding author:
Rosemary Ricciardelli, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Memorial
University of Newfoundland, 4066, AA Building, St. John’s, Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada.
Email: amy.sheppard@mun.ca
908251EJP0010.1177/2066220320908251European Journal of ProbationSheppard and Ricciardelli
2020
Original Article
Sheppard and Ricciardelli 35
who remain under their supervision (see Correctional Services Canada, 2017). Despite
such efforts, employment opportunities for former prisoners remain largely limited, and
those that exist tend to be low wage, without benefits, and temporary positions with little
opportunity for future growth (Harding et al., 2019; Holzer et al., 2003). The stigma
associated with having a criminal record and incarceration (Harding, 2003; Travis,
2005), among other factors, such as a lack of employment history and low educational
attainment (Bonta and Andrews, 2017; Petersilia, 2003) or systemic barriers (Ricciardelli
and Mooney, 2017), makes finding and securing employment difficult for former-prison-
ers. In an effort to extend understanding of the employment concerns faced by former
prisoners released into the community, we draw from the voices of 21 men and three
women who participated in a series of longitudinal semi-structured in-depth interviews;
starting at their release from federal prison to three years post-release in the community.
Reflecting on the interview transcripts of these 24 former prisoners navigating re-entry,
we explore how the stigma (see Goffman, 1963) imposed on formerly incarcerated indi-
viduals interacts with employment programming offered by well-meaning agencies,
referring to government or community-based agencies that provide employment oppor-
tunities or pre-employment training to releasees, within the current climate of precarious
employment in Canada. We show how the conditions underpinning the movement toward
employment for former prisoners, too often, can encourage the potential exploitation of
their labour within both formal and informal job markets.
We structure this article by, first, briefly discussing employment and educational
opportunities available to both federal prisoners and former federal prisoners in Canada.
Next, we unpack the stigma associated with a criminal record and its effect on both
releasee employment opportunities and wellbeing. We describe our current study, a lon-
gitudinal study on releasee experiences of pre-employment programming and employ-
ment before we explain our methods. We then outline the results of our analyses,
revealing the influence of stigma as experienced by former prisoners within the climate
of precarious employment and the, perhaps related, risk of their labour being exploited.
We conclude by suggesting policy directives designed to inform the creation of more
promising employment opportunities for future releasees.
In brief: Employment re-entry programming
Vocational and work programs are found to be effective in reducing recidivism and
improving job readiness, particularly programs that link prisoners to community
resources prior to release (e.g. Duwe, 2017; Ricciardelli et al., 2019; Seiter and Kadela,
2003). For instance, Wilson et al. (2000) completed a meta-analysis of 33 articles that
evaluated prison-based educational and vocational training as well as correctional work
industry programs. Their findings reveal that program participants are employed at a
higher rate and recidivate at a lower rate than non-participants (Wilson et al., 2000).
Reductions in reoffending, however, were greater for participants in educational pro-
grams than for those in work industry programs; participants with Adult Basic Education
(ABE) or who passed the General Educational Development (GED) test having a recidi-
vism rate of 41% compared to a rate of 50% for the non-participant comparison group
(Wilson et al., 2000). Participants with post-secondary education had even lower rates of
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