Parolefare: Post-prison supervision and low-wage work

Abstract

How might parole operate as a labor market institution, and how might it contribute to the governance of poverty and social marginality? Drawing on a series of correctional, employment, and arrest records for a cohort of parolees in Michigan, we show that parole generally supervises a jobless population, but also oversees a significant number of people who work. We also find evidence that parole, contrary to many expectations, increases the odds of employment. However, we do not find convincing evidence that parolee employment alleviates individual poverty or reduces the odds of recidivism. These results inspire a conceptualization of parolefare, another poverty regulating regime that successfully motivates worker-citizenship but does little to extend or protect the life chances of the poor.