Presentation Abstract

Research has shown the impact that a criminal record can have on a person’s employment prospects. This includes the attrition of basic job skills, accessibility to education, and other collateral consequences that limit any opportunity for economic mobility. The inability to obtain employment is often cited as one of the most important factors that contributes to recidivism, along with other economic implications for the general public.

The purpose of this presentation is to not only provide awareness to scholars, administrators and policy makers on the barriers that individuals face due to their criminal history, but also to also understand how these barriers impact our entire community. Specifically, I will examine some of the existing employment barriers that impede justice involved individuals from successfully reintegrating back into the community.

This will include a discussion on employer hiring policies, job descriptions and their alignment to employer risk and the economic implications of these barriers on our community. This information will be based on a combination of best practices and personal experiences as a former program manager within the reentry field and what can be done to empower justice involved citizens to build successful, productive lives, reduce recidivism and make our communities safer.

More About Dr. Terrance Hinton:

Dr. Hinton is a Faculty Lecturer in the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and the Department of Sociology at The Ohio State University. He has served as a practitioner-scholar in a variety of leadership roles within the Criminal Justice Field, including his most recent role as a Program Manager for Reentry Services for a nonprofit agency called Alvis Incorporated in Columbus, Ohio. To date Dr. Hinton has instructed, mentored and assisted over 3000 justice involved citizens in a number of capacities within the reentry spectrum, including courses in anger management, workforce development, cognitive behavioral therapy, and an upcoming OPEEP course that will take place at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) and bring Ohio State “Outside Students” together with incarcerated individuals (“Inside Students”) from ORW for a unique, transformational classroom experience. Dr. Hinton’s research area and scholarly contributions focus on reentry topics such as workforce development, recidivism, public health and other existing barriers that prevent individuals from reintegrating into society. Dr. Hinton also serves as a content expert on research projects for the Ohio Medicaid Released Enrollees Study through the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center. In 2021, his reentry work within the Columbus community led him to being nominated for the 3rd annual Central Ohio Social Justice Award in Columbus, Ohio.

Dr. Hinton's upcoming Spring 2023 OPEEP course will focus on both modern and historic policing and punishment in the U.S., consisting of both OSU undergraduate students and incarcerated students who will learn together at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW). The class will focus on the origins and development of the American criminal justice system, the historical and contemporary use of punishment and rehabilitation, the re-emergence of restorative justice, and the broader relationship between criminal and social justice. More specifically, the course will emphasize better understanding mass incarceration, considering its causes and consequences, as well as exploring the impact of crime, imprisonment and related policies on victims and communities.