Rebecca Villarreal, a senior director in JFF’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement, co-authored an op-ed in Real Clear Education urging colleges and universities to hire formerly incarcerated individuals instead of just designing degree programs for them.

“By hiring more formerly incarcerated people in well-paid, sustainable, and even leadership roles, colleges can help break barriers of fear and exclusion, create a more diverse workforce, and provide formerly incarcerated individuals with a fair chance at a new life and career,” say Villarreal and Basia Skudrzyk, workforce equity director at From Prison Cells to PhDs.

“Colleges and universities should demonstrate their belief in the education they are providing these individuals by also providing pathways to meaningful employment with family-sustaining wages,” they argue.