CONTACT: Julie Grace, Badger Institute Policy Analyst, at 330-410-6212 or at [email protected]

Wisconsin’s low unemployment rate and relatively high labor force participation rate are making it difficult for businesses to find qualified, reliable employees. A solution to this workforce shortage, according to a publication released today by the Badger Institute and Right on Crime, is for employers to consider hiring individuals with criminal records. “Why Hiring the Previously Incarcerated is Good Business: An Employer Handbook” informs employers of the benefits of hiring people who are reentering their communities.
 
“Hiring people with records can be a mutually beneficial arrangement,” said Badger Institute Policy Analyst Julie Grace, coauthor of the handbook. “Wisconsin employers are turning away business because they lack workers. At the same time, thousands of ex-offenders are seeking employment. If they find stable work, their likelihood of returning to prison drops significantly.”
 
In Wisconsin alone, an estimated 1.4 million people have a criminal record, and half of the individuals incarcerated in Wisconsin’s prison system today will be released in two years or less. Ensuring their success post-release benefits those individuals, their families, communities, public safety and Wisconsin taxpayers. 
 
“We need to bring people from the sidelines into the workforce,” said Grace, who coauthored the publication with Thomas Lyons, state director of Right on Crime. “This handbook provides employers with the information and tools they need to take the first steps.”   
 
The booklet contains information on Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, why post-incarceration employment is critical and the benefits of hiring people with criminal records, as well as testimonials from employers already engaged in this practice.
 

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