Hiring and paying formerly incarcerated people living wages helps build a diverse, robust, and resilient workforce; reduces recidivism
Washington (April 16, 2024) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) today introduced a resolution declaring April as Fair Chance Jobs Month to ensure that formerly incarcerated people have a chance at securing good-paying, stable employment. The Fair Chance Jobs Month Resolution expands upon the Biden administration’s 2021 declaration of April as Second Chance Month, focusing on policies to expand job opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
In the United States – which has among the highest recidivism rates in the world – nearly 14,000 laws and regulations and regulations, along with 48,000 other collateral consequences, restrict formerly incarcerated people from getting the professional licenses necessary to secure some jobs. Nearly two-thirds of formerly incarcerated people remain jobless; those who have served their sentence and have been released continue to face systemic biases and stigmas that make finding a job extremely difficult. For those who land a job, their earnings are nearly $100 less per week than the average worker.
There are also numerous economic benefits to fair chance hiring. For example, employers can leverage financial incentives, such as the federal work opportunity tax credit, to create job opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
“The patterns of our criminal legal systems continue to repeat themselves, where people are put behind bars over and over again without fair access to opportunities, resources, and support,” said Senator Markey. “Formerly incarcerated people should be given a fair chance to land a good-paying job so they can support a better life for themselves and for their families, as well as help strengthen the workforce with their unique qualifications. Our resolution is a positive step forward towards ensuring that formerly incarcerated people receive the recognition, respect, and dignity they deserve.”
“As a former prosecutor, I have seen firsthand the employment challenges people can face when they are released after serving their sentence,” said Senator Klobuchar. “This resolution to recognize Fair Chance Jobs Month will raise awareness of the barriers formerly incarcerated people face in the job market and promote opportunities for those who are looking to reenter the workforce.”
A copy of the resolution can be found HERE.
Cosponsors of the resolution in the Senate include Senators Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt).
The resolution is endorsed by JustLeadershipUSA.
“We want to thank Sen. Markey and Sen. Klobuchar for putting forward this resolution and taking into consideration both our lived experience and our subject matter expertise in the process. Because April is recognized as ‘Second Chance Month’ for those who are directly impacted by the criminal legal system, it is already an important month at JustLeadershipUSA. The Senators’ proposal to have a fair chance at employment makes April that much more significant to the directly impacted community. This resolution recognizes the immense harm done by the criminal legal system to those directly impacted — particularly in the economic sector. It also sheds light on several pervasive carve-outs to basic human needs that continue to impact families and communities. There is an inextricable link between health equity and economic justice. We must continue to dismantle racist and unjust systems, significantly increase access to funding for training and social supports and center the voices of people who are directly impacted,” said DeAnna Hoskins, President and CEO of JustLeadershipUSA.
In February 2024, Senator Markey sent a letter to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to make good-paying clean energy jobs accessible to currently and formerly incarcerated people. In December of 2023, Senator Markey also led colleagues in introducing the End Solitary Confinement Act, legislation that would end solitary confinement in federal prisons, jails, and detention centers, with limited exceptions.
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