The Impact of Post-Release Employment on Recidivism in North Carolina

Abstract

This study uses longitudinal data on a cohort of individuals exiting prison in North Carolina to examine the relationship between post-release employment and subsequent criminal justice contact. Individuals who found employment shortly after exiting prison in 2016 were significantly less likely to return to prison within the next two years than those who were not employed, controlling for observed covariates. The impact of employment on recidivism varied widely by earnings level: workers in the top quartile of wage earnings were only around half as likely to be reincarcerated, while the lowest-paid individuals returned to prison as often as their counterparts who found no employment at all. These findings add to a growing body of evidence establishing that high-quality employment is an important determinant of recidivism outcomes.

Keywords: prisoner, parole, reentry, job quality, mobility, second chance, public policy

JEL Classification: J24,J31,J38,J60,K14,