Alleviating the Mark of a Criminal Record? Credentials, Racism, and Post-Prison Employment

• In Event: Unravelling the Processes and Decisions at Root of Criminal Record Discrimination in Hiring and Education

Abstract

Prison credentials are proposed as one solution to alleviate post-prison labor market challenges by signaling employability and criminal desistance to employers. Yet, their efficacy is mixed, which scholars attribute to low prison program fidelity and methodological limitations of program evaluation research. Amid growing criminal justice reform efforts, this leaves a vital question unresolved: Can prison credentials actually alleviate the mark of a criminal record? I first address this question theoretically by offering an alternative explanation to this longstanding debate and highlighting the limitations of signaling approaches to ameliorating labor market inequality. Then, drawing on an audit of 1,502 employers in skilled trade labor markets within five geographically diverse states, I assess the efficacy of prison credentials and the racialized implications of relying on them to remedy inequalities. Results suggest that prison credentials do little to help returning citizens compete for jobs with the general public, but they still provide minor relief and that the combined main effects of racism and prison credentials create unique disadvantages for Black men relative to their White counterparts. This study has implications for policies aiming to reduce employment barriers experienced by returning citizens and racial minorities.

Author

• Sadé L. Lindsay, Cornell University