State Senator Lisa Boscola (D-Bethlehem) is asking colleagues to support legislation to create a prison-to-jobs pipeline for nonviolent inmates in Pennsylvania.
Boscola bemoaned Pennsylvania’s status as among the worst states in the U.S. in terms of ex-prisoners reoffending; it has a 41-percent recidivism rate. In a memorandum announcing her measure, she posited that rate will go down if the commonwealth proactively advances many prisoners toward employment as they prepare for life outside of jail.
“It has long been recognized that employment has a negative correlation with crime,” Boscola wrote. “Ex-incarcerated people can face tremendous difficulties in obtaining employment opportunities post-release, whether due to lacking necessary job skills for specific positions, or a reluctance from employers to hire those with a criminal record. However, studies have found in prison-to-work programs that those who secure employment see recidivism rates drop from 30-70% to 3.3-8%.”
The senator indicated she is basing her proposal on a similar prison-to-work conduits in other states, particularly Oklahoma. She plans to include in-prison career-preparation instruction in her bill as well.
Due to the late moment in the 2021-22 legislative session, Boscola will need to reintroduce her legislation next year to secure the consideration of the state Senate. A moderate Democrat, Boscola has had a productive working relationship with the leadership of the chamber which has a sizable Republican majority.
Many voices across the political spectrum have expressed support for inmate employment programming. A 2018 report by the center-right American Enterprise Institute (AEI) found that the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Post Release Employment Project has significantly lessened rates of reoffending.
“Existing research suggests that work is a protective factor against crime and, more narrowly, recidivism,” Minnesota Department of Corrections research director Grant Duwe wrote in the AEI analysis. “While it is important for offenders to obtain employment following their release from prison, maintaining it appears to be crucial in reducing recidivism. Indeed, individuals are less likely to commit crime when they work more often and have employment that is stable, considered satisfying, and perceived as having career potential.”
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Pennsylvania Daily Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Lisa Boscola” by Senator Lisa M. Boscola. Background Photo “Pennsylvania State Capitol” by Dough4872. CC BY-SA 4.0.
