Supervising Employees With Criminal History: An Exploratory Study of Manager Strategies and Perceptions
| Author | Araceli Ochoa,Carly Holmes,Bettina Friese,Enedelia Garcia,Josee Hildebrandt |
| Published date | 01 June 2020 |
| Date | 01 June 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0306624X20904699 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2020
Article
International Journal of
Offender Therapy and
Supervising Employees
Comparative Criminology
2020, Vol. 64(8) 880 –898
With Criminal History: An
© The Author(s) 2020
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Exploratory Study of Manager https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X20904699
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X20904699
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Strategies and Perceptions
Bettina Friese1 , Araceli Ochoa2, Enedelia Garcia2,
Josee Hildebrandt2, and Carly Holmes2
Abstract
This study examined supervisory strategies for employees with criminal history
from the perspective of supervisors with experience in overseeing formerly
incarcerated employees. The primary goal of the study was to determine
strategies used by supervisors that can be integrated into management training
and disseminated to employers interested in hiring individuals with criminal
history. For that purpose, 10 semistructured interviews were conducted with
supervisors at Pioneer Human Services (Washington State, USA), a large nonprofit
social enterprise that operates businesses employing justice involved individuals
and reinvesting revenues into services that support this population. The purposive
sample of supervisors consisted of individuals considered to be skilled in supervising
employees with criminal history. Data were analyzed using a priori and inductive
codes. Two supervisory strategies emerged from the interviews: supervisors
should demonstrate cultural competence in their interactions with formerly
incarcerated employees, and be knowledgeable about community resources to
connect employees to resources.
Keywords
criminal history, incarceration, reentry, employment, workplace characteristics
1Pioneer Human Services, Seattle, WA, USA
2Seattle University, WA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Bettina Friese, Director of Research and Client Outcomes, Pioneer Human Services, 7440 West
Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108, USA.
Email: Bettina.Friese@p-h-s.com
Friese et al.
881
Introduction
In 2016, approximately 600,000 people were released from federal or state prison into
their communities (Carson, 2018). Based on current recidivism rates, around 44% of
them will be rearrested at least once during their first year after release (Alper et al.,
2018). Research indicates that employment has the potential to reduce reoffending and
is essential for individuals who want to reenter society successfully after incarceration
(Sampson & Laub, 1990). Employment also has benefits above and beyond a pay-
check and financial stability, such as allowing individuals to redefine themselves as
productive members of society, as well as being beneficial for the family and com-
munity at large (Solomon et al., 2004).
However, individuals trying to enter or reenter the workplace after incarcera-
tion face numerous obstacles that can keep them from finding or keeping a job. To
date, there has been little focus on what can be done in the workplace to help
employees succeed in the workplace. The current study examines workplace char-
acteristics and supervisory strategies for employees with criminal history from the
perspective of experienced supervisors in this area. The primary goal of the study
is to explore strategies used by supervisors that can be integrated into management
training and disseminated to employers interested in hiring individuals with crimi-
nal history.
Research on Employment and Recidivism
A number of theories attempt to explain the relationship between employment and
recidivism (for a comprehensive review, see Thompson et al., 1981). Economic theory
speculates that the decision to commit crime is strictly a rational one and that criminal
behavior is based on a cost-benefit analysis where individuals weigh the benefits of
their employment against the benefits of committing a crime (Becker, 1968). Social
control theory posits that conventional relationships, including those forged in the
workplace, teach individuals to follow established norms (Hirschi, 1969). Job stability
also helps individuals establish commitment to conventional behavior (Sampson &
Laub, 1990). Routine activity theory proposes that crime is linked to the opportunity
to commit a crime (Cohen & Felson, 1979). For example, being unemployed may
provide more opportunities and time to spend in situations (e.g., hanging out on street
corners) that could result in criminal behavior.
Research on Barriers to Employment After Incarceration
These theories indicate that employment has the potential to deter future involvement
in criminal activity. However, it is difficult for individuals with criminal history to find
employment. Challenges to finding employment come from different fronts: (a) the
individual, their qualifications and condition prior to incarceration, (b) the supervision
requirements of probation or parole programs, and (c) employers’ stigmatizing beliefs
and hiring practices.
882
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 64(8)
Many of the challenges to obtaining employment were present before incarcera-
tion. Individuals with criminal history are less likely to have a high school diploma or
GED (Harlow, 2003; U.S. Department of Education, 2016), and more likely to have
had low employment rates before incarceration and, therefore, little job experience.
Individuals with criminal history are also disproportionately more likely to struggle
with substance use disorder, mental health problems, poor health, and a history of
victimization and exposure to trauma (Visher & Travis, 2003; Western, 2018). Unless
these issues were addressed during incarceration, which is unlikely, they are probably
still present at release from prison and perhaps have worsened.
Furthermore, community supervision requirements that individuals on probation
and parole have to follow may make finding and keeping a job more difficult. Reporting
requirements may also be challenging for the employer who has to accommodate work
schedule disruptions. Supervision requirements can include regular meetings with pro-
bation or parole officers, appointments for drug tests, alcohol and drug treatment,
restrictions on location of residence, and restricted access to computers and the Internet.
Individuals with criminal history are likely to encounter employers’ stigmatizing
beliefs when applying for jobs. Employers are less likely to hire someone convicted of
a violent crime or crimes against children (Albright & Denq, 1996). Likewise, job
applicants with drug possession charges and low qualifications are considered less
often for employment, as are individuals with a felony, regardless of qualifications
(Varghese et al., 2010). In addition, employees with criminal backgrounds are per-
ceived to be less likely to obtain and maintain a job compared with people with chronic
illness, disability, and communication difficulties (Graffam et al., 2008).
In addition to barriers that individual with criminal history encounter in their search
for work, they may also be negatively impacted by their incarceration which may have
an effect on their ability to maintain a job. Studies have shown that incarceration can
have a long term and profound influence on individuals. For example, incarceration
can negatively impact personality (Hulley et al., 2016; Meijers et al., 2018), the ability
to trust and engage with others (Liem & Kunst, 2013), the individual’s sense of self-
worth and confidence (Haney, 2002), and decision-making (Turanovic et al., 2012).
Interventions that focus on overcoming barriers to finding employment for criminal
justice involved individuals are implemented in prisons and the community (Graffam
et al., 2014). These programs typically include services that prepare the individual to
find employment after release from prison, such as job readiness training, social, emo-
tional, and life skills training, and job placement assistance (Engel, 2018).
Though employment programs focus on preparing individuals for the workplace,
hardly any programs focus on proactively preparing employers or supervisors on how
they can help the individual be successful in the workplace. Some programs, such as
Milwaukee JobsWork, assist employers when there are problems with employees and
help correct problematic behavior (Engel, 2018). However, this approach is reactive
rather than proactive. One example of a program that proactively prepares employers
is a program in Israel called Friendly Employer. Friendly Employer assists employers
in understanding the special needs of employees coming out of incarceration and can
help the employees to progress in their job, as well as emotionally and socially. An
Friese et al.
883
evaluation of the program found that employees who had jobs with friendly employers
were more likely to persist in their jobs than those with a regular employer (Peled-
Laskov & Bialer, 2012).
To date, recommendations to employers interested in hiring formerly incarcerated
individuals mostly focus on “banning the box” and conducting accurate background
checks (e.g., American Civil Liberties Union [ACLU], 2017). While “banning the
box” and background checks are designed to help employees with criminal history get
jobs, such efforts may do little to help the employees be successful in the workplace
and prepare the employer for the needs of an employee...
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