Stigma of Conviction: Employment Outcomes and Misdemeanor Convictions

• In Event: Roundtable: Courts and Convictions

Abstract

Existing research has shown that the rise of incarceration that occurred during the prison boom had a substantial effect on the ability of former inmates to retain and procure employment. Given that the jail population grew in line with prison incarceration during this period, the effects of less severe forms of criminal justice contact should be investigated. The conditions and circumstances that render long-term incarceration impactful are also present for arrests, convictions and jail stays. Contact of any form causes separation from society, which can hinder the attainment and maintenance of employment. However, research has found that the impact on wages and the consistency of employment may be predicated on the nature of the offense and the presence of a conviction. Using the NLSY97, this project explores employment outcomes as a result of convictions, separating out type of offense. Preliminary results suggest that both employment and wages are negatively affected only for property convictions, and not violent or drug convictions. These findings have implications for understanding the scope of the impact of criminal justice contact – in all forms – on employment, as well as the practice of employers in assessing the severity and importance of a conviction.

Author

• April Fernandes, North Carolina State University