A Rand Corp. study from 2022 revealed that more than half of unemployed men in their 30s had been arrested at least once. More than a quarter of individuals who were formerly incarcerated are unemployed, which feeds the cycle of recidivism. The Los Angeles County Fair Chance Hiring Program promotes the hiring of “system impacted” individuals, building on the previous Fair Chance Act, which bars most employers with five or more workers from rejecting applicants just because they have a criminal record. Employers are offered incentives for hiring a formerly incarcerated individual.
