This MEF Associates evaluation report prepared for the City of Seattle evaluates their Career Bridge program. Career Bridge was developed as an alternative means of addressing recent gun violence in the city by addressing employment barriers of low-income men of color. The report focuses on the implementation of the program and the employment outcomes for the first three program cohorts that completed the program in 2014.

This blog post from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services highlights the work of the Transitions Clinic Network, a national network of clinics that serves previously incarcerated individuals with chronic health conditions. The network is staffed by community health workers who have their own incarceration histories. The model has been adopted in 10 cities, and the post contains a link to learn more about the program.

This report from the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation is one in a series of reports to be produced from the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project, which seeks to use a behavioral economics lens to examine programs that serve poor and vulnerable families in the United States. This report presents findings of a project done in collaboration with the Washington State Division of Child Support, in which a behavioral intervention was used to increase the number of incarcerated noncustodial parents who requested modifications to their existing child support orders, thereby decreasing the amount of arrears they accrued while incarcerated. The impact of the intervention was found to be statistically significant.

This video from the Center for Court Innovation explains the UPNEXT program, a workforce development program for fathers, many of whom have interacted with the justice system. The information is given from the perspective of a successful program participant who explains how UPNEXT helped him become updated on his child support, find and maintain a job, and regain custody of his daughter.

This report from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation examines the earnings of justice-involved men over the course of their incarceration and release. The study analyzed state administrative and survey data to compose a picture of the men's earnings, their involvement in child support, and how it affected their children and partners.

This article summarizes several listening sessions that the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse held with fathers to gain information about workforce development efforts. It highlights three main themes and suggestions that emerged from the sessions – Put People before Performance, Motivate Everyone to Self-Actualization, and Utilize Multi-Generational Approaches.

In this report supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Manatt Health explores the opioid and mental health crises and how cities and counties are implementing local initiatives to address the human and economic impact of untreated serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders. The report profiles 13 local programs that address homelessness, criminal justice, and the frequent use of first responder and hospital emergency departments. It examines both the community impact and local response initiatives, paying particular attention to areas with gaps in treatment, such as the homeless community, and outlines success factors of these local programs.

This article, published in the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, describes programs designed to provide employment support to fathers who are in the criminal justice system. The T.O.R.I. Program and RIDGE Project are described in detail in their approach to provide assistance for reentry, particularly for fathers. The article also discusses grants provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for fathers and resources available to help support employment and parenting of returning young fathers.

In this study from Mathematica Policy Research, women’s criminal records are examined to determine their effects on employment, health, and welfare participation. The study followed disadvantaged women over thirteen years. By simulating behaviors and other trajectories, the researchers were able to find differences between external and causal effects, including policy and choice, of their outcomes in health, employment, and welfare involvement.

Many states have recently passed “ban the box” laws, which prevent employers from asking job applicants whether they have a criminal record. This article from The Pew Charitable Trusts examines several recent studies that show that these laws may be preventing black men from getting job interviews. Employers may be weeding out young black men because they are disproportionately more likely to have criminal records or raising the minimum requirements for jobs so that these men no longer qualify. To be more effective, “ban the box” laws need to be paired with other interventions that prevent racial discrimination in hiring.