This presentation was delivered at the National Career Development Association's Global Conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 22, 2012.

1. Career Development
for Individuals with
Criminal Records
Bret Anderson
Francina Carter
John Rakis
Catherine Rose

2. National Institute of Corrections
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Federal Bureau of Prisons
• NIC is a federal agency created in 1974
as a center of correctional knowledge to
provide leadership and assistance to the
field of corrections.

3. 1 in 100
• In 2008, 1 in every 99.1 adults was behind bars
in America
• More than 1.5 million were in state or federal
prisons
• More than 700,00 were in local jails
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/topic_category.aspx?category=528

4. 1 in 31
• In addition, over 4.2 million were on
probation
• Over 800,000 were on parole
• In total, over 7.3 million adults were under
some form of correctional control, a ratio
of 1 in 31
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/topic_category.aspx?category=528

5. The Criminal Justice System Today
After sharp
increases in the
1980s and 1990s,
the incarceration
rate has recently
grown at a slower
pace.

7. Offender Reentry
• Annually, approximately 750,000 are
released from state and federal prisons
• Over 9 million are released from local jails
• 95% of all offenders will return to their
communities

8. Barriers to Reentry and
Employment
• Definition-any problem or obstacle,
real or perceived, to reaching a goal

9. Internal Barriers
Those thought patterns that evoke negative
perceptions of self, society and the workplace
• Low self concept • Negative beliefs
• Impulsiveness • Resentment and defiance
• Poor planning and • Negative attitude toward
decision making skills others and the law
• Low level of satisfaction • Little self knowledge
• No internal locus of • Rationalization for criminal
control behavior

10. External Barriers
Environmental and reality factors that limit goal
attainment and increase risk related to job placement and
career development
• Lack of education • Employer attitudes
• Poor work history • Lack of documents
• Gender, age or race • Lack of transportation
• • Little family support
Addiction
• Lack of child care,
• Type of offense housing, money
• Lack of soft skills required • Little knowledge of the
by employers world of work

11. Strategies to Reduce Barriers
Assessments
– Risks and Needs: Identify static and dynamic
criminogenic factors and likelihood of recidivism and
what types of supervision and services would be most
successful
– Academic: Determine educational levels and special
learning needs, focused on employment
– Career Exploration: Instruments used to help
determine occupational priorities and career ladder

12. Strategies to Reduce Barriers
Programming and interventions
– Tailored directly to dynamic risk and need factors of
each individual
– Emphasis on evidence based practices
– Cognitive behavioral programming
– Career Pathways focused educational and vocational
training
– Partnerships with state and community resources to
deliver services

13. Collateral Consequences

14. Ban the Box
WWW.NELP.ORG

15. Collateral Consequences
• The Legal Action Center (LAC)
provides a state-by-state and issue-by-
issue overview of legal barriers facing
ex-offenders. A “report card” using
criteria developed by the LAC grades
each state for its performance on key
principles related to successful
reentry of offenders.
• www.lac.org

16. What are Myth Busters?
• First product of the Federal Interagency Reentry
Council
• They are fact sheets, designed to clarify existing
federal policies that affect formerly incarcerated
individuals and their families in areas such as public
housing, access to benefits, parental rights, employer
incentives, and more.

17. What are Myth Busters?
Each sheet addresses a common
‘myth’ about reentry, ranging
from financial aid to
employment opportunities.

18. EEOC’s New Criminal Record
Guidance - April 25, 2012
• Issued updated enforcement guidance on
employers’ use of arrest and conviction
records when making hiring decisions
• Call for employers to assess applicants
on an individual basis rather than
excluding everyone with a criminal record
through a blanket policy

19. EEOC’s New Criminal Record
Guidance - April 25, 2012
• Guidance provides significantly more detail and
direction for employers.
• Provides specific recommendations for how
employer criminal record policies should be
designed to comply with Title VII
• Can be found at:
http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/arrest_convi
ction.cfm

20. Success
on the Job
Attitude
Actions

21. The unwritten work ethic principle

22. So what does an Employment Retention
Behavioral-Based curriculum consist of?
The Big Four employer based non-verbal skills
– Getting to work on time
– Being at work everyday when scheduled
– Following the supervisor’s instructions
– Getting along with co-workers
These factors are how employers evaluate work ethic
within the first month of employment.

23. What is Work Ethic?
Employer Expectations Employee Translation
I expect you to show up to work every I will be there every day I don’t have a
day you are scheduled no matter problem.
what.
I expect you to be at your workstation I am on time if I am in the vicinity of
when the work day starts. work.
I expect you to follow the instructions I will follow the instructions of my
your supervisor gives you. supervisor unless I don’t agree with them
or know better.
I expect you to be a team player and I just need to do my job. I don’t need to
get along with the people who already make friends with my coworkers.
work here.

24. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Left early - Scheduled
Week home doctor’s
emergency appointment
One
Scheduled
Week meeting with
child's
Two teacher
Court Called in sick
Week date
scheduled
Three Funeral for Late - car
Week friend trouble
Four

25. Additional exercises
• Personal schedule activity – this exercise helps to
improve decision-making skills regarding personal
schedule versus work schedule dynamics.
• Temperament assessment – this exercise helps
individuals determine their prevailing state of mind and
plays a considerable role in determining how they view
others and their reactions to others, ultimately helping to
build or increase empathy.

26. Additional exercises
• Evaluating dimensions of unemployment attribution style
questionnaire.
– Global or specific
– External/internal
– Stable or unstable
– Combinations
• Emotional intelligence (EQ) awareness – this exercise
introduces concepts such as “Hot Buttons” and “Stress
Management,” as a way to develop a personal
awareness plan for normal workplace conflict scenarios.

27. Additional exercises
• Financial relevancy – this exercise helps individuals
develop a realistic financial spending plan to avoid poor
decision-making habits leading to potential relapse or
recidivism.

28. Why a behavioral-based
employment retention curriculum?
The purpose for recommending the implementation of a
behavioral-based employment retention curriculum is three-
fold:
2.The implementation of this concept will place greater emphasis on
the importance of new hire behavior during the critical first month of
employment.
3.The implementation of this concept will act as the thread that weaves
the tapestry of Job Retention Training (JRT) elements.
4.The implementation of this concept will encourage and instill the
cooperation of the employers who hire offenders as a stakeholders in
community reentry.

29. Websites
• National Institute of Corrections
• www.nicic.gov/owd
• National HIRE Network
• www.hirenetwork.org/resource.html
• National Reentry Resource Center
• www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org

30. Questions?
• bret@h2communication.com
• fccarter@bop.gov
• jrakis@gmail.com
• Catherine.Rose@state.nm.us