Lundquist, Jennifer, Pager, Devah and Eiko Strader.
The study ‘Does a Criminal Past Predict Worker Performance? Evidence from America’s Largest Employer,’ co-authored by Harvard sociologist Devah Pager with Jennifer Lundquist and Eiko Strader from UMass Amherst, used U.S. military data for 1.3 million soldiers - both ex-offenders and non-offenders - who enlisted between 2002 and 2009. The study evaluated the work performance of ex-offenders re-entering the job market and found ex-offenders were no more likely than other enlistees to be discharged for negative reasons such as misconduct or poor performance. These ex-offenders were also promoted at a slightly higher rate and to higher ranks than non-offenders with no criminal record.