Linkages

Linkages between the Causes & Consequences of the Racial Disparity

Previously incarcerated individuals are unable to find employment after release from prison. This is due to a multitude of factors, including the stigma of their criminal record, lack of experience/training, and lack of "soft skills" (i.e. professional appearance, established work ethic, communication skills, etc). This inability to find proper (i.e. legal) employment has a rippling effect on the lives of the ex-offender, their family and the community - which in turn places them at risk for re-offending.

Ex-offender

• Unemployment directly affects many aspects of an individual's lifestyle and stability. For instance, ex-offenders are often unable to find reasonable housing, healthcare, and transportation after release. In particular, the inability to find housing (due to both economic strain and the stigma of a criminal record) places the ex-offender in a sort of "Catch 22" simply because an official address is often necessary to find employment or qualify for various social support services.
• Even the process of obtaining a driver's license (or another form of official identification) can present a barrier for returning offenders when seeking employment or social service assistance (although it is important to note that the DOC has recently made efforts to improve this when preparing inmates for release).
• Being unable to contribute financially to the family is emotionally unsettling for many ex-offenders. In fact, some offenders reported that they were hesitant to return to their families and children after release because they felt as if they had merely become another mouth to feed. This is particularly unfortunate as the family in many cases may be the most rehabilitative assets that these individuals have.
• Additionally, it is important for the children (when appropriate) to remain in contact and have a parent present (in terms of both emotional well-being and avoiding involvement in criminal activities: See the Family Section for more information).
• Many fathers also reported that their concept of self-worth and human dignity were directly associated with their ability to financially contribute to their families. Therefore, the process of returning to their families after release and struggling to find employment diminished their concepts of self-worth and lead to feelings of disempowerment.
• Not having employment and housing (and also being late on child custody payments due to financial instability) may violate a condition of release (and lead to revoking an individual - repeating a cycle of continued involvement with the justice system).
• Due to all of these factors, the temptation to resume criminal activities in order to make "easy money" may become overwhelming for even the most reformed ex-offender.

Family

• Families often bare the burden of supporting offenders during their transition into the community. This places great economic strain on the family.
• Parental incarceration has lasting effects on children that can easily extend into adulthood. It has been shown that children of incarcerated parents are six times more likely to engage in criminal behavior, due in part to lack of parental involvement.

Community

• As communities faced with absorbing the ever growing population of ex-offenders become politically disenfranchised (due to social stigma and socio-economic barriers to becoming politically engaged), lose commercial investment (due to high crimes rates, poor local economics, and social stigma), and develop a transient nature (in part due to high prisoner mobility), their ability to effectively support returning offenders is sharply limited.
• Youth in these neighborhoods then become more at risk for involvement with the justice system, as local community solidarity directly affects their upbringing.
• Local age appropriate activities are not provided (these are not the areas with funding for skate parks and other youth activities) and residents report that children are idle.
• High school age youth fail to find employment as the neighborhood lacks commercial investments (due to the stigma of being a high crime area and transient). This inability to find employment not only contributes to youth idleness (and consequent criminal involvement) but also places them behind their peers both financially and in regards to employment experience.

All of these factors lead to continued involvement with the justice system, not only by the ex-offender themselves, but also their children and community members/youth.