More than 30 percent of American adults have been arrested for a crime, and nearly 8 percent of adults—over 19 million Americans as of 2010—have a felony record (see Figures 1 and 2).1 Employment opportunities are difficult for this population, often due to government policies instead of workers’ ability or willingness to work.
Work is an important step for the reentry and reintegration of those with a criminal history into broader society. It substantially reduces recidivism, particularly in the months after release when reoffending is most likely to occur, and it increases workers’ incomes and economic mobility—outcomes that also benefit the United States as a whole.2
Yet employment prospects for those with a criminal record (whether a conviction or merely an arrest) are dim. Bushway et al. (2022) estimates that 64 percent of unemployed men in their 30s have been arrested and that 46 percent have been convicted of a crime. Often, the record itself—not the underlying crime—is a significant reason for their unemployment.3 Meanwhile, Larsen et al. (2022) finds a strong connection between an individual’s felony conviction and unemployment or labor force non‐participation (especially for women), and that the country’s increasing felony‐history share since the 1980s translated to about 1.7 million Americans not working because of their record.4 Other studies show a similar connection between a criminal record and non‐employment.5
Criminal records also impair mobility:...
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