From Incarceration to Entrepreneurship: Exploring the Relationship Between Criminal Records and Self-Employment in the U.S.

• In Event: Collateral Consequences and Rights

Abstract

Individuals with criminal records face both interpersonal and institutionalized barriers, which limit their access to the labor market and, eventually, are conducive to their long-term economic marginalization. While there are abundant explanations for how criminal records affect the job-seeking and hiring processes, little research examines how criminal history is associated with self-employment. Given the challenges in traditional employment structure, self-employment may be an alternative pathway for ex-offenders to overcome labor market discrimination by providing them with more autonomy and reducing their dependency on employers. However, it might come with its barriers, such as investments, licenses, or credentials, which deter those with criminal records from engaging in self-employment. Nevertheless, our understanding of the association between criminal history and self-employment is still limited.
Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we seek to investigate how criminal records shape self-employment. We expect those with criminal records to take longer to get their first jobs than those without criminal records, which is connected to self-employment. We will also explore how the association varies across race and gender lines. We expect that Blacks and males are more likely to be self-employed with less favorable conditions than their White and female counterparts.

Authors

• Asal Amini, Louisiana State University

• Hyunsu Oh, Louisiana State University