Employment of Individuals with Criminal Records

Established by the Legal Action Center, the National Helping Individuals with criminal records Re-enter through Employment Network is both a national clearinghouse for information and an advocate for policy change. The goal of the National H.I.R.E. Network is to increase the number and quality of job opportunities available to people with criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and public opinion. The National H.I.R.E. Network also provides training and technical assistance to agencies working to improve the employment prospects for people with criminal records. 

H.I.R.E. provides information on state-specific governmental agencies and community-based organizations that assist people with criminal records, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers. These agencies and organizations may be of assistance in providing job-related and legal services, answering questions arising from having a criminal record, or offering referrals to other useful organizations.

To access this information, please visit http://hirenetwork.org/resource.html.

People with criminal records face a daunting array of counterproductive, debilitating legal barriers that make it much more difficult for them to succeed in almost every important aspect of life. LAC's groundbreaking report, After Prison: Roadblocks to Reentry documents and grades each state on the legal obstacles that people with criminal records face as they seek to become fully productive members of society and recommends legislative and policy changes to remove those roadblocks. Our new toolkits will help advocates eliminate these unfair roadblocks.

New! Advocacy Toolkits to Eliminate Criminal Record Discrimination Now Available!
LAC and our National H.I.R.E. Network have developed a series of toolkits that organizations and individuals all over the country can use to advocate for removal of unfair roadblocks to employment, benefits, housing and other necessities facing individuals with criminal records.

To find out more, visit the National H.I.R.E. Network's website at http://hirenetwork.org/.

[Back to National Policy Homepage]