Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Executive Summary: Research Supporting Employment as an Important Component of Evidence-Based Practice

This document briefly reviews the strong link between offender employment and recidivism. "Extensive research has demonstrated that strong ties to work can lead to desistance of offending. Based on the scientific evidence, education and vocational training programs work. They increase the rate of employment for ex-offenders, and meaningful work is an important contributor to less offending. More importantly, the evidence clearly shows that they reduce recidivism and provide a positive return on investment."