As Louisiana continues to grapple with its high incarceration rate—the highest in the nation, as a matter of fact—workforce reentry programs have emerged as a critical component of the push to reduce recidivism.
As Business Report writes in its latest issue, organizations across the state—business groups, governmental agencies and nonprofits included—are stepping up to offer formerly incarcerated individuals pathways to employment.
For formerly incarcerated individuals, stable employment and stable housing are the two most important factors when it comes to reducing the risk of recidivism.
That’s according to Andrew Hundley, executive director of the Louisiana Parole Project, a Baton Rouge nonprofit with a stated goal of helping those individuals rebuild their lives.
“People with stable employment and stable housing generally don’t go back to prison,” Hundley says. “In our experience, people who are busy with work every day and who have safe places to come home to generally don’t reoffend. They’re like everybody else—they’re tired at the end of the day and they’re ready to eat dinner and go to bed.”
Read the full story, which includes a detailed guide to the financial incentives for companies that hire formerly incarcerated individuals.
