By Miguel Peromingo, Freelance Consultant and Writer
As an international consultant Miguel’s ambition is to share examples from employment services in different countries. The Journal showcases how initiatives in Lithuania, Belgium, the USA, the UK and other countries support returning citizens on their journey back to the labour market and into society.
The World Population Review states[1] that at least one third of released individuals return to prison within two years. In the USA, the country with the highest incarceration rate globally, current research indicates that more than 80% of released citizens are likely to be rearrested within ten years. This bias of keeping people who have committed a crime in their past in a downward spiral of social exclusion and the push to re-offend, impacts the life of all those that have left their criminal behaviour behind.
Gary Bolles, international expert on the future of work reports about his experience in working with prison reintegration that in one counselling group he attended, the 28 men present calculated their total sentences as adding up to 728 years, whilst the time in which they committed the actual crime added up to a total of less than five minutes. Seconds of unmanaged anger and poor decisions at a young age (most violent crimes are committed in late adolescence with a quick decrease in the 20’s) put them on a track that will cost a potential lifetime struggle to live a worthy life in society.
A proportion of the people who are in prison are dangerous and should be kept away, but the majority, particularly in countries with high incarceration rate of which the UK is one, are ready and apt to return to society including those that have served minor sentences but are still stigmatized for having been sentenced.
What can thus be done to help improve inclusion of returning citizens?
A fundamental step for the society is to practice active empathy. The common picture of returning citizens is that of inmates, de-humanised, faceless people in monochrome prison uniforms, perpetuated in the risk they bring to society. To overcome this damaging simplification, it seems crucial to change mindsets and acknowledge that every single returning prisoner is a human being with a story, with aspirations and skills as well as challenges and need for help. Intentionally applying empathy is a competence that can be learned, also collectively, by getting to know individuals, understand their journey and work together to help. Support networks are important to tackle the needs of returning citizens for well-being, many of whom might suffer physical and mental health conditions, for affective relationships, housing and work.
The OECD highlights[2] that case management for people leaving prison can only be successful if it takes a human-centered approach instead of emphasizing managerial processes in different silos, what the OECD calls a “pass-the-parcel case management”, in which the returning citizen is sent from one institution to the other repeatedly going through the same procedures. In employability support for instance, a case management that already starts in prison and builds trust and continuity through a journey of motivation, skills assessment, skills training and job matching will be a better support than fragmented service components. Much like leaving school and starting a job or coming back to work from unemployment spells or illness, starting back on the labour market after prison is a journey, not an isolated event and has therefore to be approached holistically.
Furthermore, the growing skills shortages in Europe and beyond create a need to look for untapped and hidden skills pools. Returning citizens might have skills and potential that can benefit labour markets too, if employers are engaged at the right time and vocational education and training is applied systematically.
Employability professionals are in an important position as well. The more they know about the needs of returning citizens and the quicker they can respond with holistic case management, the higher the chance they can help with labour market and social integration.
This Journal gives several examples from public, private and third sector employment services of what works and what does not in the integration of returning citizens. We hope it serves as inspiration, sparks discussion, and continues building support networks.
[1] World Population Review (2022), available online at https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rank-ings/recidivism-rates-by-country.
[2] OECD (2024), An integrated approach to service delivery for people with multiple and complex needs, OECD Publishing Paris
