It wasn’t easy finding work after more than 17 years in prison, but Vanessa Santiago persisted. She was eventually hired at a Lowe’s Home Improvement store and, after a few months on the job, was promoted to head cashier. Her quick success inspired her to apply for an open management position at the store. But, during the application process, she had to report that she was on parole. Despite her glowing record on the job, she was fired the next day. It took her 18 months to find a new job, during which time she drove for Uber and made deliveries for Instacart to make ends meet.

“It is very difficult to get a job while having a felony,” said Santiago. “There is no second chance for me.

Prison work experience should count

People leaving prison face enormous barriers to building stability. Basic necessities—everything from getting transportation to finding shelter—can become extremely challenging to secure. One of the biggest hurdles is finding stable employment. Formerly incarcerated people face an unemployment rate nearly five times higher than the general United States population, largely because of the many policies and practices that disadvantage people with a conviction history.

Though many people in prison work difficult jobs—like manufacturing, firefighting, and gravedigging—for long hours and low wages, writing a résumé after years of incarceration can still be a challenge. Work experience behind bars isn’t given the same weight as work done on the outside, according to Jose DiLenola, clemency campaign director for Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP). “If you worked in commissary for five or six years stocking inventory, there is no official mechanism to say that that is work experience.”

Training inside prisons should align with high-demand jobs so that people come home with skills that allow them to support themselves and their families. States should do more to ensure that the work incarcerated people do behind bars translates into employability on the outside.

For example, incarcerated people who help protect homes and save lives by fighting fires—like the more than 1,000 incarcerated people who helped fight the Palisades and Eaton fires earlier this year—ought to be able to work in county and state fire departments upon their release. Instead, people with certain criminal convictions are banned from working in California fire departments. To correct this injustice, California legislators are considering a bill called the Fairness, Inclusion, Rehabilitation, and Expungement for Incarcerated Firefighters (FIRE) Act that would create a pathway for formerly incarcerated firefighters to continue working as firefighters after their release.

“Thousands of people like me have had their trial by fire, only to be released and been told that it’s worth nothing,” Andony Corleto told the Los Angeles Times. Corleto is a Vera staff member who fought fires while incarcerated through California’s Conservation Fire Camp Program.

Ban the box

Far too many states still allow employers to include boxes on job applications that allow them to automatically disqualify people based on a conviction history—or even simply an arrest—rather than passing laws that require them to evaluate potential candidates based on their skills and qualifications.

People seeking work after prison also face stigma from hiring managers who have internalized prejudice. Studies show that having a conviction history reduces employer callback rates by 50 percent.

And even if they can find work, people returning home from prison are often required to complete educational or rehabilitative programs upon release, for which many employers won’t allow the time off needed to attend. “It’s hard enough getting an interview if you are formerly incarcerated,” said DiLenola. “If you get the job, then you have to ask for time off for court-mandated programs. If employers hire you, they want you to be there. They don’t want their workers to be taking off for three hours twice a week.”

Yet once people with conviction histories are given a chance, they often shine. In fact, studies have shown that job applicants with conviction histories have a lower turnover rate than those without.

Jobs help people stay out of prison

Policies and practices that make it harder for formerly incarcerated people to secure employment are counterproductive to public safety. Employment is a major key to building a healthy life and breaking cycles of incarceration. Conversely, poverty is a major predictor that a person will return to prison. Keeping people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system out of the workforce locks them in a system of perpetual punishment.

Santiago has a master's degree and is pursuing a doctorate in criminal justice organizational leadership. “I still can’t get a full-time job,” she said. “Things have been hard. They don’t take into consideration how hard it is to get on your feet once you are home.”

Reducing barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated people will become even more important as work requirements are attached to critical public benefits. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July, includes expanded work requirements for people receiving Medicaid, a federal government health insurance program for people with low incomes. These changes, which will take effect in 2027, will weigh heavily on people who were formerly incarcerated. Access to health care is an often unacknowledged yet vital component of public safety; research has shown time and again that Medicaid expansion is linked to drops in crime.

Open doors to employment for people with conviction histories

There have been efforts to improve the employment prospects for people with conviction histories. Most federal agencies and federal contractors are prohibited from inquiring about the conviction histories of applicants until a conditional job offer is made. Additionally, a majority of states have adopted policies or laws designed to open public-sector jobs to people who have had contact with the criminal legal system. Fifteen states and dozens of cities and counties have mandated the removal of conviction history screening boxes from job applications for private-sector jobs. More jurisdictions should work to prevent discrimination against people with conviction histories.

Opening job opportunities to formerly incarcerated people will help them break the cycle of incarceration. As Santiago said, “People need a second chance.”