1. Employment Barriers

More than 90 percent of companies use background checks in their hiring decisions, putting jobs further out of reach for the one in three adults who are living with a criminal record.

Income inequality leads to the poverty cycle as it allocates wealth unevenly and the rich continues to prosper while the poor remain trapped in the cycle.

2. Health Barriers

There is often a lack of continuity in care from inside the prison to the community.

Substance abuse can be a significant impediment to successful reentry and a major health concern.

Persons of lower income, education, or occupational status experience worse health and die earlier than do their better-off counterparts.

3. Education Barriers

Nearly 40 percent of incarcerated individuals over 18 years old have not graduated from high school.

Numerous studies have shown that the more education an incarcerated person receives, the less likely he or she is to return to prison.

Lack of access to education is a major predictor of passing poverty from one generation to the next, and receiving an education is one of the top ways to achieve financial stability