Most people know Second Chance from our over 400,000 square-foot retail footprint in south Baltimore, but we’re more than that. Second Chance welcomes returning citizens looking for employment, regardless of skill set. The societal challenges that returning citizens face are numerous and daunting, and Second Chance is dedicated to providing a second chance to those who need it most.
Studies repeatedly show how important regular employment is to staying out of prison. In the year before coming to prison, the employment rate for those prisoners is no higher than 35%. Out of prison, individuals who have stable, full-time employment are shown to be less likely to commit crimes than those who don’t.
A 2011 analysis found employment was the single most important factor in decreasing re-arrest rates: two years post-release, nearly twice as many people with jobs avoided rearrest compared to those without employment. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, those unable to secure or hold a job experience about a 52% recidivism rate over three years, whereas those who remain employed for at least one year post-release have a recidivism rate of just 16%.
In 2023, Johns Hopkins University released the results of PIVOT, a community-based re-entry program for women in Baltimore City. PIVOT’s focus was providing women returning from the Maryland carceral system workforce and personal development, with attention paid to career counseling, healthy communication and goal setting. Through this program, 71% of those who completed the program gained employment, and only 1% of those who completed the program were re-incarcerated after one year. This evaluation shows that participants who get job placement and training through PIVOT are significantly less likely to reoffend than their peers.
Such outcomes echo broader findings: connecting returning citizens to jobs can substantially cut recidivism in Baltimore and beyond.
Economists have estimated that excluding people with criminal records from the workforce incurs a huge opportunity cost. One study found that due to the poor employment prospects of the formerly incarcerated, the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 was lower by $78–$87 billion than it could have been.
It doesn’t take an economist to understand that when people have money, they tend to spend money. On average, having been imprisoned cuts one’s wages by over 50%, translating to about $55 billion in lost earnings each year in the U.S. economy. By helping returning citizens obtain steady, decent-paying jobs, these lost wages can be recaptured as productive spending and tax revenue in the local economy.
In Maryland, it costs about $37,000 per year to incarcerate one person. Maryland taxpayers currently spend $288 million annually to imprison residents of Baltimore City alone. Reducing recidivism would allow a portion of these hundreds of millions of dollars to be redirected to community investments, helping the community as a whole. The US Chamber of Commerce puts it best: fewer taxpayer dollars spent on incarceration means more resources can be invested in the community.
Decreasing unemployment rates doesn’t just help the economy. A 2001 study from The Journal of Law & Economics shows that when returning citizens are gainfully employed, communities benefit from lower crime and a larger labor force. Neighborhoods are safer and more stable, which in turn attracts businesses and jobs. Research has found that even a modest drop in unemployment (1%) correlates with noticeable declines in certain crimes (e.g. 2% fewer burglaries).
Over time, successful reentry of former offenders can thus revitalize local economies – by turning would-be costs (incarceration, policing) into productive output and by creating a broader tax base. The research is clear: providing returning citizens with employment, just like what Second Chance does every day, is often described as a “win-win” for society: it gives individuals a livelihood while making communities safer and more prosperous while reducing public expenditure.
Our mission is people-forward: we want to give returning citizens the chance to hold steady employment, learn skills to help them in the job force, and grow as individuals. We can’t do that without your help. Your donations, no matter how large or small, directly help us in our mission. Click the button below to learn more about our donations process, and make a difference today.