| Abstrakt: |
In the spirit of social-action research, this presentation will provide a ground-level account of how people make sense of the transition from prison to work in various New York City communities. Specifically, this presentation will discuss the reentry and employment experiences of 201 formerly incarcerated individuals who enrolled in the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) after release from prison or jail in New York. By providing preliminary findings from a random assignment evaluation, this presentation will report on in-depth qualitative interviews, focus groups, and quantitative analyses of program data to illustrate some of the most pressing challenges facing formerly incarcerated individuals as they try to remain employed. In particular, the presentation will address the following questions: Where do people work? How do they obtain jobs? How much do they earn? How long do they remain employed? What are the issues they face in the world of work? Ultimately, the findings illustrate how the interrelated roles of race, ethnic conflict, criminal stigma, access to social networks and reentry programs affect the employment opportunities of those returning from prison or jail. It also discusses the dynamic ways in which participants construct and reconstruct identities, and develop creative strategies to navigate through difficult situations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
