Hundreds of thousands of people leave state and federal prisons every year, and millions more cycle through local jails. Most leave with little money and a criminal record that follows them for life.
Those records trigger collateral consequences, legal penalties beyond the sentence itself. State and federal laws can bar people with convictions from public housing, many professional licenses, student aid, jury service and, in some states, voting. A 2018 Prison Policy Initiative analysis found the unemployment rate among formerly incarcerated people was over 27 percent, higher than during the Great Depression.
Because Black Americans are incarcerated at much higher rates, these barriers widen racial gaps in wealth and health. The Second Chance Act of 2008 funds reentry programs. Policies like ban the box, clean slate record sealing and restoring voting rights aim to remove barriers so that a sentence actually ends.