The relationship between participation in different types of training programs and gainful employment of formerly incarcerated individuals

According to the United States Department of Justice (2017), over 10,000 formerly incarcerated individuals are released each week from federal and state prisons. Approximately two-thirds of this population will be re-arrested within three years of release. Although employment has been found to reduce recidivism, the majority of formerly incarcerated individuals lack the education and skills necessary to compete in the labor market. The purpose of this study is to draw upon human capital theory and workforce development concepts to examine the relationship between participation in different types of training programs and gainful employment of formerly incarcerated individuals. The three types of training programs considered in this study are school-based training programs, pre-employment training programs, and post-employment training programs. Generalized linear mixed models are used to determine if each type of training is related to employment status and income. Based on a sample from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), post-employment training programs are positively related to gainful employment for formerly incarcerated individuals