An Examination of Barriers and Challenges to Securing and Maintaining Employment with a Criminal Record During the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people unexpectedly experienced unemployment and underemployment. For people with a criminal history, the consequences of financial strains and unemployment were further compounded by their criminal-legal system involvement. In this chapter, we assess the barriers to obtaining and maintaining employment during the early waves of the COVID-19 pandemic for justice-involved people, grounded in the perspective of their essential services providers. Our findings reveal prevalent employment barriers related to mental health, financial strain, and legal delays, as well as the ways in which unemployment and its barriers are interconnected. We make recommendations for collaborations with justice-involved persons and stakeholders within and outside the criminal-legal system to reduce the breadth of challenges to securing and maintaining employment, including mental health, financial, legal, and policy challenges.