From Incarceration to Inclusion:
How D.C. Can Lead on Reentry Workforce Innovation
Struggling to access employment is just one of the 40,000+ collateral consequences facing people previously convicted of crimes in the United States. The practice of second chance hiring – hiring people despite or even because of their criminal records – is one way to address these barriers. While policies and practices exist to help justice-impacted people find jobs, they aren’t doing enough. Justice-impacted people are still not fully employed and workforce shortages still exist. What can we do here in D.C. to solve this problem?
From Incarceration to Inclusion: How D.C. Can Lead on Reentry Workforce Innovation, a new report published by SCHA, offers proposed solutions to policymakers on how they can continue to improve D.C.’s reentry workforce landscape, build D.C.’s economy and support businesses struggling to find employees. The reports examines the reentry workforce ecosystems of Washington, D.C., Prince George’s County and Baltimore, Maryland, and Denver, including the various interventions or strategies used by these jurisdictions to train and place justice impacted people in jobs. Using this comparative research, SCHA identified takeaways that D.C. can use to improve its own reentry workforce ecosystem.
Ultimately, dismantling workforce barriers for justice-impacted individuals is both a moral imperative and a strategic advantage for employers facing labor shortages. Read the full report below or review the Executive Summary to learn more about what D.C. can do to meet this moment.
Attendees at the D.C. Workforce convening, sept 2025
More than 30 experts in reentry workforce issues were consulted for this paper. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
“Transparency from the employer side helps us route graduates so they’re not wasting their time.”
“Returning citizens are running from place to place like a hamster on the wheel.”
“I ask people whether they’ve been incarcerated before, and if the answer is yes, I say ‘Great, that makes you great for the company.’”
“Government and union contracts often contain blanket bans against employees with criminal records… it prevents my company from bidding on larger projects.”
A major source of obstacles formerly incarcerated people face when seeking work are employer-specific policies, not local and state laws.
“[Record relief laws] make it easier for us to identify the untapped talent or the great talent that may otherwise be overlooked.”
“How are you designing the program to respond to the zeitgeist where the definition of workforce readiness could change in the next year, especially with AI? How do we make somebody workforce ready in a world that is just constantly changing?”
What programs and policies make up a typical reentry workforce ecosystem?
Advisory Boards
Offices Overseeing Reentry
A centralized office or agency focused on assisting returning citizens to find housing, health, employment, or other related resources.
Government-Run Workforce Development Programs and/or Wraparound Services
Programs primarily run by the government, either exclusively focused on or open to returning citizens.
Nonprofit-Run and Government-Funded Workforce Development Programs and/or Wraparound Services
Programs primarily run by nonprofits, usually partially funded by the government; either exclusively focused on returning citizens or open to returning citizens.
Financial Incentives for Employers
Programs that reimburse or subsidize employers who hire justice-impacted people.
Record Relief
Includes laws that prohibit employers from inquiring about applicants’ criminal records (“Ban the Box”), automate the sealing of past criminal records (“Clean Slate”), and/or remove convictions permanently (expungement).