Got Resilience? The Role of an Attribute in the Employment of Persons With a Felony or Prison Record

Abstract

The employment of persons with a felony or prison record has been a longstanding problem in the U.S. Despite vocational programming and other efforts to address this problem, the results of these efforts have often fallen short. To fill the remaining void in understanding this problem, scholars have given increased attention to the cognitions or personality traits that can affect job attainment. One trait that is receiving some attention in this research is resilience. The current study uses logistic regression to examine the role of resilience in the current employment of 179 adult males on community supervision. Findings indicate there is a relationship between employment and certain resilience building factors, such as social support via marriage, job-based optimism, and faith.

Keywords

resilience employment criminal record optimism persistence

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