51,184
people incarcerated in state prisons in Pennsylvania1
$34,700
cost to maintain an individual in state prison in Pennsylvania each year, for a total annual cost of $1.78 billion1
90%
of those incarcerated in Pennsylvania will eventually be released2
6 in 10
people released will recidivate (i.e. be reincarcerated within 3 years)2
>50%
of those who recidivate will do so within the first year of release. The first year is by far the most risky period for recidivism2
$44.7 million
amount that The Pennsylvania Department of Correction could save annually by reducing the one year recidivism rate by 10%2
20%
drop in recidivism associated with obtaining employment upon release from prison3
70%
of employers will not hire a person with a felony record3
50%
of the 262,000 federal prisoners who were released between 2002 and 2006, couldn’t find any form of employment during their period of supervised release4
93%
of those who did get jobs were able to successfully reintegrate back into society4
Jobs for ex-offenders matter to everyone.
1 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 10, 2013
2 Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, Recidivism Report 2013
3 U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services, OPRE Report 2011-13
4 U. S. Department of Justice study, referenced in Huffington Post article 9/8/15