From jails to jobs.

• Author: Lawrence, Alison
• Position: TRENDS

For the nearly 11.5 million people who cycle in and out of prison and jail every year, employment is key to becoming a productive, taxpaying member of the community. But a criminal record, combined with spotty experience or little training, can make finding and securing a meaningful job difficult.

State lawmakers, corrections agencies and the business community are teaming up to provide in-prison and post-release educational and vocational training so that offenders can learn the skills they need to land jobs. A trio of policies designed to level the playing field for former inmates has been enacted in a growing number of states over the last couple years.

Certificate of employability laws in at least 20 states authorize courts or parole boards to issue certificates that serve as proof of rehabilitation for employment purposes or allow some occupational disqualifications to be lifted.

Some of these laws also carry employer liability protection for hiring ex-offenders who have been granted certificates. In cases where a certified employee causes injury or damages, the policies protect employers from lawsuits for negligent hiring or for a failure to adequately supervise an employee solely because of a previous criminal conviction. At least 12 states have laws that protect employers who hire people with criminal records.

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