Hiring from among an overlooked workforce can have a strong return on investment
By Anthony Tone Payton, Granite State News Collaborative
When Julian Miller of Hudson isn’t driving a cement mixing truck, you can find him giving motivational speeches in high schools and organizations from Boston to New Hampshire. Both in his speeches and not, he talks about the anchors to his stability: faith, family, and his job.
His story is similar to that of many men and women re-entering society after incarceration.
Miller, a father and husband, has a background involving substance misuse and incarceration, but he said he never let that prevent his passion for redemption and giving back. He said he found redemption while in prison, where he participated in several of the programs available to people behind bars, learning the culinary arts and the food service trade.
“I had to take advantage of those programs in prison,” Miller said. ”I knew it would be easy to find work as a cook or a chef.” Miller said. After some time in the food industry, which had provided him with the stability of a paycheck, Miller eventually landed a better-paying job driving cement-mixing trucks.
Miller’s journey to work and better employment stands among many examples of the importance of investing in prisoner education and job training.
According to a report by the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a free-market think tank, providing education and programming to people in prison is directly related to a reduced recidivism rate. The report argues that education and training programs save taxpayers money and have a high return on the investment.
Education and training behind the wall
Vocational and educational programs are important parts of rehabilitative efforts in New Hampshire’s three prisons. The N.H. Department of Corrections offers programs that range from business and computer courses to a whole range of trades.
And, under the umbrella of the N.H. Correctional Industries, there are also service and manufacturing shops, a retail store, and a working farm that provide incarcerated workers with hands-on training in manufacturing and retail skills, horticulture, greenhouse management, and forestry.
At the State Prison for Men in Concord, incarcerated workers are employed in the plate, sign, engraving, print, and upholstering/refinishing shops. The Northern NH Correctional Facility in Berlin operates a furniture woodshop and an upholstery and refinishing shop. At the Correctional Facility for Women in Concord, incarcerated workers train in warehousing, distribution, and materials-handling through a canteen fulfillment center, gaining production experience in a sublimation print shop.
N.H. Correctional Industries employs 22 full-time and three part-time staffers who oversee about 240 incarcerated workers across the three facilities.
It’s not just basic skills that those in the prisons can obtain. For instance, the Granite State School of Cosmetology, a licensed cosmetology school within the women’s prison, makes it possible for apprentices with enough hours to apply to the state Board of Cosmetology licensing. And they can earn START certificates – a program administered by the American Hotel & Lodging Association that offers general foundational knowledge and skills training for a job in the industry, as well as certification through Restaurant Ready, a similar program to START created by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation.
But vocational education is the centerpiece of the department’s rehabilitation efforts. At the men’s state prison in Concord, 39 men completed the automotive mechanics program, 26 finished building trades, 83 graduated from culinary arts, and 139 completed the Intro to the Workforce course.
Julian Miller, outside of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention facility in Central Falls, R.I., where he spoke to the prison population. Photo: (Courtesy photo)
The business and computer education program had the most participation, with 364 completions.
Inside the women’s prison, 94 women finished business and computer courses, 23 completed Intro to the Workforce, 23 graduated from culinary arts, and 39 earned certification in cosmetology.
Meanwhile, at the Northern Correctional Facility in Berlin, 10 students completed business and computer education courses, and 13 took part in Intro to the Workforce.
In addition, 26 participants statewide earned their START certification for the lodging industry. Fifteen incarcerated students completed associate degrees through White Mountains Community College, and 34 are currently enrolled in college courses, including 24 continuing their studies at White Mountains.
In other words, people behind prison walls have access to learn the skills and train for jobs that can make them a source of employees for businesses that are still grappling with New Hampshire’s shrinking labor force participation rate. In August 2025, that rate stood at 65.4 percent – 3.6 points lower than the pre-COVID participation rate of 69 percent.
In July 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 34,000 job openings – a job opening rate of 4.6 percent, higher than the national rate of 4.3%.
The range of programs give New Hampshire’s prison population access to learn skills and train for jobs outside prison walls – and that can make them a source of employees for businesses that are still grappling with New Hampshire’s shrinking labor force participation rate. (In August 2025, that rate stood at 65.4 percent – 3.6 points lower than the pre-COVID participation rate of 69 percent.)
Systemic barriers
While some in the formerly incarcerated workforce are not only ready to work, but qualified, their qualifications can become overshadowed by their past. And the obstacles formerly incarcerated people face can be a barrier to employment – the kind of obstacles that are unique among others seeking employment.
Many times, individuals who’ve been impacted by the justice system have to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations from friends to earn a livable wage. Without the network and resources to assist them, many get caught in a cycle of lower pay, entry-level positions.
A hurdle can be something as simple as transportation. For someone who is newly released and living in a halfway house or on parole, getting to and from work can be problematic. They have to abide by the rules of the halfway house or parole, and one of those rules bars them from being in vehicles with anyone who has a criminal record, meaning that in many cases, newly released individuals can often not rely on people in this network to assist them.
Perhaps even more daunting, qualified job candidates sometimes face a background question on employment applications when they’re asked about a potential criminal record. An affirmative answer in many, many cases often resulted in even a highly qualified applicant missing out on the chance to proceed in the hiring process.
Julian MIller with a group of students at a school he recently visited for a presentation. (Courtesy photo)
New Hampshire did have a “Ban the Box” law – which went into effect in 2020 – that banned public sector employers from using the “check box” asking about an applicant’s criminal history. The goal was to allow the employer to judge an applicant’s character and qualifications without being hindered by stigma. The law, however, was repealed in the 2024 legislative session through an amendment added to the so-called budget trailer bill, House Bill 2.
Solutions and organizational help
Setbacks aside, some programs and resources help former prisoners to find not only a job, but a good job.
One is ApprenticeshipNH is a federally funded, workforce education program of The Community College System of NH (CCSNH). CCSNH has fully staffed apprenticeship hubs across the state, with one of the state’s seven community colleges a central part of each hub.
John Knorr is the coordinator for the Northern and Western hubs – White Mountains Community College in the North Country and River Valley Community College, based in Claremont.
Tracey Jackson is the coordinator of the Southern and East-Central hubs, with the schools being Manchester and Nashua Community Colleges in the south, and NHTI in Concord, Great Bay Community College on the Seacoast, and Lakes Region Community College, based in Laconia.
Knorr and Jackson work with employers, community partners, and career seekers to develop Registered Apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship pathways. They often work with individuals who have been previously incarcerated.
Knorr says transportation to the colleges for the required education can be a major barrier for potential participants. “Every apprenticeship program has a related technical instruction requirement that is most often delivered at one of our colleges,” he said. “Folks may live close to the colleges, but others in the region could have a minimum of a one-hour drive. That drive can be a challenge for all apprentices, but it can be a much larger burden for those formerly incarcerated who may not have the resources to travel.”
Jackson, who has worked with many employers to develop recruitment plans for apprenticeship opportunities, stated that many employers may be unaware of the talent and resources they are overlooking by not connecting with those who have been justice-involved.
“We want to help employers screen people into their programs by helping them identify potential barriers in hiring practices and provide solutions that employers may not consider,” stated Jackson. “There are several individuals who may be a good fit for the apprenticeship who need a little more support to enter the program. We can help employers connect with those supports.”
ApprenticeshipNH is connected to both large and small employers in the traditional trades, behavioral health, manufacturing, and business sectors across the state. “There is a great workforce need in these industries,” said Jackson.
“We look forward to continuing to build partnerships and pathways to help meet these needs.”
Christopher Lalmond, Northern Hub developer for the ApprenticeshipNH team, also helps employers with recruitment.
“When I build or expand a Registered Apprenticeship program with an employer, I address recruitment as part of my standard workflow, he said. “During the conversation about recruitment, I ask the employer how they might consider broadening their search for career-seekers. It is here that I talk about accessibility for various populations, one of which is justice-impacted individuals.”
Employer’s incentives
There are also incentives for employers to hire someone who has been formerly incarcerated.
One is the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which is available to employers who hire individuals from groups facing significant barriers to employment, including those who have been convicted of a felony and are within a year of release from prison for that offense.
The tax credit is 40% of up to $6,000 of wages for a person in their first year of employment who works at least 400 hours (the maximum credit is generally $2,400). A 25% credit applies to people who work between 120 and 400 hours.
Several New Hampshire employers have used the credit over the last five years. According to the federal Employment and Training Administration, which oversees the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program, 14 employers claimed the credit; in 2021 and 2022 – at the height of Covid – eight and six employers, respectively, claimed the credit; and in 2023 and 2024, 17 employers claimed the credit in each year.
Another incentive is the Federal Bonding Program, which is designed to entice employers to hire candidates considered “at risk,” including those who were formerly incarcerated.
The bonds, offered at no cost to employers, reimburse them for losses of up to $5,000 from theft or fraud during an employee’s first six months. Since the program began in 1966, more than 52,000 bonds have been issued, with only 1% resulting in claims.
Of course, stigma is real, and getting employers to buy in isn’t an easy task. Julian Miller has faced his share in job interviews.
“It was frustrating,” he said. “But you keep going, hoping for someone to give you that chance.”
Fortunately for Miller and others, some employers have shown they are ready to take that chance. The goal is to connect with an employable pool of qualified people intent on succeeding in society.
If you or someone you know is struggling with life after incarceration in the Manchester, N.H., area, there are organizations such as Mokse and O So Beautiful The Women’s Reentry Initiative that can assist.
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