Meaningful Employment as a Component of Reentry: How Employers Provide More than Wages

• In Event: Innovations in Reentry: Problem-Identification, Program Delivery, and Research

Abstract

Social support has been identified as crucial to successful reintegration to the community. While social support is typically considered to be provided by family and friends, community services, or government, scant research has examined other forms of social support during the reentry process. The current study utilizes accounts of employers of formerly incarcerated individuals to examine their experiences with the reentry process. Preliminary analyses suggest employers are providing social support to their formerly-incarcerated employees to fill the gaps left by government reentry services. Employers identified the main challenges to employment retention to be housing, transportation, and mental health. While employers have no mandate, nor the training to provide assistance with these challenges, many drew from their team-building trainings in the business world to assist their employees to actively reduce practical barriers to participation in the workforce. The personal and collective agency realized through a reflection of participating in a process of reducing barriers, in turn, was reported by multiple respondents to have the effect of creating a meaningful employment experience for both employers and the formerly-incarcerated employee. Implications to the reentry process and recommendations to policy-makers conclude this study.

Authors

• Michael F. Campagna, University of Nebraska at Omaha

• Ryan Spohn, University of Nebraska at Omaha