Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Having a criminal record greatly lowers ex-offenders prospects in the labor market. One important policy measure that has been increasingly enacted across the country is to restrict employer access to a job applicant’s criminal history. However, much of literature focuses on employer attitudes and behaviors, omitting a large number of workers who are discouraged from initially entering into the applicant pool. This omission greatly restricts our understanding of the relationship between stigma, economic inequality, and labor force participation.

We incorporate expectancy value theory (EVT) into a classic search theoretical model to highlight the psychological processes embedded in labor force participation and job search. We seek to examine the relationship between perceived discrimination by persons with a criminal record and job search behaviors in shaping labor market outcomes. Data from the restricted-use Pathways to Desistance study are used to answer the following questions: 1) Is perceived labor market discrimination by persons with a criminal record linked to actively seeking employment? 2) Is perceived labor market discrimination by persons with a criminal record associated with different job search behaviors? Is perceived labor market discrimination by persons with a criminal record associated with different employment outcomes (e.g., job stability, wages, job satisfaction)?

There are two key implications for policy and practice that can be gleaned from the proposed research. First, we assert that efforts in reducing economic inequalities through employment will be strengthened if they include ex-offenders who do not formally apply for employment. Second, we argue that psycho-motivational processes are important at the initial stages of job search. These subjective evaluations can have powerful implications in terms of deepening economic inequality by driving ex-offenders away from the formal labor market.