A report by the Justice Policy Institute surveying people who returned to prison from parole and community supervision agents.
In “Parole Perspectives in Maryland: A survey of people who returned to prison from parole and community supervision agents,” Justice Policy Institute (JPI) surveyed people who returned to prison from parole and their community supervision agents to get a clearer picture of the barriers to successfully transitioning to the community from prison. About half of the people surveyed were from Baltimore City and most of the parole agents surveyed were responsible for a caseload that includes people from Baltimore City.
Overwhelmingly, both the people who returned to prison from parole and the community supervision agents who were surveyed identified the challenge of finding and keeping employment as a significant factor driving the returns to prison. Key recommendations include reducing statutory and systemic barriers to employment for people with a conviction, providing community supervision agents with the tools and supports they need to connect people to employment opportunities, and building stronger partnerships with employers to bolster employment opportunities for people on community supervision.