Labour market policy directed at ex-prisoners in Poland

Abstract

In the article we investigate how public employment services perform with respect to ex-offenders registered therein as unemployed workers in Poland in the time span 2004-2019. Our descriptive analysis will serve in the future in policy evaluation analyses regarding efficiency of certain labour market policy programmes offered to former inmates. We base our analysis on individual administrative data from public employment offices. We present the scope and diversity of the performed actions within active and passive labour market policy programmes. We also provide a literature review on the relationship between labour force attachment after leaving the prison and the recidivism.Conducted analysis indicates that public employment offices do not focus, in particular, on ex-offenders. This partially originates in stereotypical perception of ex-offenders. Nevertheless, social services are expected to perform inclusive actions of social and economic character and preventing the recidivism. The range of active labor market policy tools applied to ex-inmates is relatively small. On the other hand, only about 10% of former prisoners received unemployment benefits.In the article, we stress the importance of labour market participation in preventing subsequent criminal behaviour and by our research we also contribute by identifying knowledge gaps in analysing efficiency of certain labour market policies with respect to ex-offenders. Particular modifications in legislation conditions (for example treating ex-offenders as unemployed in special situation in the labour market or their wage during employment while being in prison) should lead to further investigation in the future.