Prison, College, and the Labor Market: A Critical Analysis by Formerly Incarcerated and Justice-Impacted Students

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00027162221112772
• Published date: 01 May 2022
• Date: 01 May 2022
• Subject Matter: Improving Human Capital and Labor Market Opportunities

78 ANNALS, AAPSS, 701, May 2022

DOI: 10.1177/00027162221112772

Prison, College,

and the Labor

Market:

A Critical

Analysis by

Formerly

Incarcerated and

Justice-Impacted

Students

By

KHOI QUACH,

MICHAEL CERDA-JARA,

RAVEN DEVERUX,

and

JOHNNY SMITH

1112772ANN THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMYTITLE PRISON, COLLEGE, AND THE LABOR MARKET

research-article2022

Enrollment in and navigation of higher learning institu-

tions as a pathway to social mobility remains a signifi-

cant challenge for many currently and formerly

incarcerated people, particularly for those placed under

community supervision. This article reviews research

on the topic, drawing out key contributory factors and

summarizing reform efforts in recent history. We dis-

cuss the potential differential benefits of postsecondary

educational attainment for formerly incarcerated peo-

ple and emphasize the need for more research around

educational attainment for this population. We also

examine effective model programs in the State of

California as a way of highlighting the complex and

variable nature of the challenges in higher learning for

justice-impacted individuals due to their social and

supervisory circumstances. These analyses are used as

basis for general policy recommendations to provide a

stronger foundation for targeted support frameworks

and to assist institutional partners working to improve

the experience and success of justice-impacted people

in postsecondary education. We conclude the article

with a critical reflection regarding the institutional

function of education in accordance with the current

demands of neoliberalism and a concomitant call to

action anchored to an alternative vision for a more

emancipatory education.

Keywords: justice-impacted people; postsecondary

education; college in prison; community

supervision; employment

Introduction

As today’s postindustrial labor market becomes

increasingly hypercompetitive and skilled, the

national social safety net continues to erode

Khoi Quach is a PhD student in the sociology depart-

ment at the University of California, Berkeley. He is

primarily interested in exploring various dimensions and

dynamics underlying the political economy of inequality

regimes. His current research examines inequities in

education, in addition to the emergent opportunities and

potential disparities in digitality.

Correspondence: k_quach@berkeley.edu

TITLE PRISON, COLLEGE, AND THE LABOR MARKET 79

(Silva 2013). In this context, a college education and credential are no longer a

privilege but rather a necessary milestone for many Americans transitioning to

adulthood (Harding and Harris 2020). Yet the inflating costs of a college degree,

in terms of both money (Gale etal. 2014) and time (Shapiro et al. 2018), leave

this milestone out of reach for many. As a result, those without the economic,

social, and cultural foundations for college enrollment and success (Harding and

Harris 2020) are often unable to find work in higher-paying, more stable sectors

of the economy. Too often, this includes justice-impacted people—particularly

formerly incarcerated people and those on probation or parole—many of whom

grew up in poor or working-class families and in racial/ethnic minority communi-

ties (Harding and Harris 2020).

Along with these socioeconomic obstacles, many justice-impacted people face

further barriers to college, including the responsibilities associated with early

parenthood (Sandefur, Eggerling-Boeck, and Park 2005) and the lack of reliable

information about navigating college and work (Lareau and Cox 2020). This also

leaves them vulnerable to higher debt and predatory practices by unethical, for-

profit postsecondary education providers (DeLuca, Clampet-Lundquist, and

Edin 2016).

Moreover, for justice-impacted people, incarceration experiences often inter-

rupt life transitions and rites of passage undertaken by their nonincarcerated

peers (Harding and Harris 2020). These destabilizing developmental disruptions

often funnel them into trajectories marked by low-wage, exploitative employ-

ment and ongoing involvement with crime. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a develop-

mental detour through the carceral system can also lead to worse substance use

and mental health disorders. These deleterious outcomes are attributable to

people experiencing the poor, stressful conditions of prison facilities and the ero-

sion of key social and support networks (Sugie and Turney 2017). Shaped, then,

by the compounded hardships of neighborhood disadvantage and the carceral

system, formerly incarcerated people frequently face high barriers to education

Michael Cerda-Jara is a doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at Stanford

University, where his research focuses on employment opportunities for college-educated

people with criminal records. He is an Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE)

fellow.

Raven Deverux is a doctoral student at the University of California, Los Angeles in the

Department of Sociology. Her work centers on the intersections of race, gender, and class

within system-impacted communities. In addition to her academic work with system-impacted

communities, Raven is part of the leadership team for Underground Scholars at UCLA.

Johnny Smith is an undergraduate student studying sociology at the University of California,

Berkeley. Upon completing his degree, he intends to further his intellectual pursuit and passion

for research in a graduate program. His research currently focuses on the reformation of post-

release supervision with an emphasis on the occupational duality among community correc-

tions officers.

NOTE: The authors thank Dr. David J. Harding for his ongoing support and mentorship and

Dr. Jasmin A. Sandelson for her invaluable assistance with draft revisions. In addition, they

thank Dr. Bruce Western, the REFORM Alliance, Dr. Thomas Kecskemethy, and The

ANNALS for the opportunity to engage with scholarship during a critical moment for formerly

incarcerated and systems impacted scholars.