What are the root causes of women with a criminal record facing unemployment?

Opinion piece by Success Works Board members Nicola Norris and Dr Prudence Black

Understanding why women with a criminal record face unemployment is multi-faceted and can seem complex and hard to grasp. In this article, Success Works Board members Nicola Norris and Dr Prudence Black explain the reasons why women with a criminal record face such high levels of unemployment and how Success Works addresses this issue. It is a must-read for any employers, funders, and government decision-makers.

FACT 1: People who have been incarcerated have the highest rates of unemployment in Australia

The stigma associated with having a criminal record and spending time in prison is a significant barrier to employment. Unfortunately, societal stigma translates into employer discrimination against those with a criminal record.

FACT 2: Recidivism continues the cycle of disadvantage

Reoffending (or recidivism) continues the disadvantage of having a criminal record as well as creating patterns of intergenerational disadvantage and trauma. A lack of access to employment can result in an individual having a significantly higher propensity to re-offend. Success Works breaks this cycle of disadvantage by helping women to find employment.

FACT 3: Employers often undertake unnecessary criminal record checks

It is not unusual for employers to check for a criminal record and ‘Google’ recruits for extraneous information that does not relate to the jobs advertised. These activities can underscore recruitment decisions based on uninformed assumptions about a person with a criminal record. This occurs because most employers have little understanding of what it means to have a criminal record, or the protocols around recruitment processes when faced with this unique group. At Success Works, we focus on educating employers so that they see the potential of our candidates and not the record.

FACT 4: Women who have a criminal record have a high rate of unemployment

Unemployment is one of the main causes of recidivism for women. Women in general already experience employment discrimination and a criminal record exacerbates this discrimination further.

FACT 5: The vast majority of post-release services are not designed for women

There are only 10 programs nationally, which seek to help formerly incarcerated women to transition back into their communities. None of these programs have an evidence base and the vast majority of these programs are social or training programs without employment outcomes. The reason for this is that men make up 80% of prisoners, and given their dominance in the incarceration statistics, most post-release services have generally been developed around their needs. Success Works is the only service designed for women, staffed by women with lived experience and with female-only mentors.

FACT 6: Most post-release services are limited to recently released women and eligibility ends 6 months post-release

There is some government and philanthropic funding to help women in the immediate 6 months post-release period but for the women who have been in the community and unemployed for over 6 months, there is virtually no support from external agencies. Success Works helps all women with a record to find employment, including those who have been in the community for some time.

FACT 7: The vast majority of services for women with a criminal record are limited to those who have served time in prison

Women who have not been in prison, but who are under community orders also face significant barriers to employment and receive virtually no support. The reason for this is that limited government and philanthropic funding focus efforts on those women who have been previously incarcerated. Success Works helps all women with a record to find employment, including those with community orders.

FACT 8: 60% of women in prison are mothers

Women who are mothers and have been impacted by the criminal justice system face discrimination in recruitment and employment, as they are often held accountable by society for the impact of their imprisonment on their children.

FACT 9: Secure employment can be a condition for single mothers to gain custody of their children

For single mothers, access to paid employment is often a condition for them to regain custody of their children post-release, or to maintain custody of their children longer-term.  Unemployment can have a profound and long-lasting impact – for both women and children – exacerbating intergenerational poverty and disadvantage. Success Works has supported many single mothers who needed employment to regain custody of their children.

FACT 10: Women who have been locked out of employment for six months or more typically feel trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of low confidence and hopelessness

Evidence shows that even short-term unemployment harms people’s psychological well-being and may lead to a decline in their perception of self-worth. This is why at Success Works, we focus on building a woman’s confidence and self-esteem with one-to-one support from a staff member with lived experience and a dedicated and supportive mentor.

FACT 11: Women who are able to find employment often face sustained and persistent insecure employment and exploitation

Women with a criminal record often feel a great sense of shame and are placed in a desperate situation to gain employment to meet custody conditions. This means they are vulnerable to exploitation and insecure work.  The Department of Education or Workforce Australia may consider them ‘employed’ if they have as little as 5 hours of casual paid work a week, and therefore ineligible for support.  At Success Works, we help women to gain casual work as a stop-gap solution, whilst simultaneously helping them to build their careers for the longer term.

FACT 12: The women Success Works support already experience significant discrimination based on their profile

19% of Success Works candidates identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, 45% did not graduate from high school, 43% have experienced mental health issues and 33% are over 40 years old. Having a criminal record is an added layer of statistical disadvantage impacting employment outcomes.  These forms of statistical inequality are mutually reinforcing and must therefore be analysed and addressed simultaneously to prevent one form of inequality from reinforcing another.

FACT 13: Many women with a criminal record are often locked out of the workforce or trapped in a cycle of sustained and persistent insecure employment due to the criminal record

Women, especially those with caring responsibilities, already experience employment discrimination and a criminal record exacerbates this discrimination further.

FACT 14: The root cause of women with a criminal record facing unemployment is societal stigma

The societal stigma around women with a criminal record results in many women living with stigma and with little belief in their ability to contribute fully to society. These women often withdraw from society and feel that they have to keep their criminal records a secret. Any woman with a criminal record knows the full force of societal stigma; it can come from her family, her friends, her workmates, and the general community. Most people in society have little understanding of what it means to have a criminal record, and this often translates into employer discrimination when these women seek work.

At Success Works, we unlock the potential of women with a criminal record through our mentoring program, one-to-one support, and job readiness workshops. We also work with employers to help them address structural issues that create barriers to these women finding employment. Through this model, we provide opportunities for women with a criminal record to access sustainable employment, rebuild their lives, and not re-offend.