MAYVILLE – For the majority of inmates transitioning out of the county jail and into the community, the lack of a job or any personal identification remain the leading causes of recidivism.

CodyAnne Weise, employment and reentry facilitator at the jail, said at the county’s recent reentry task force meeting in Mayville, that the ability of inmates to sustain themselves post-release gradually deteriorates over time – and unemployment is the chief culprit.

“If you don’t have a job, you’re coming back (to jail),” Weise said. “Many employers aren’t willing to hire ex-offenders. Even if they say they are, they really aren’t.”

Part of the reason, she said, is inmates tend to “burn bridges” before their incarceration and garner a debilitating reputation within the community.

“(Inmates have) a criminal past which means they haven’t been the best employees in the past,” Weise said. “It’s really difficult to get positive recommendations from previous employers. To make that turn around and get somebody to give you another chance is pretty difficult because your past can still follow you.”

Weise also said the reentry task force is bolstering its “Ban the Box” efforts, aimed at persuading employers to remove the check box from applications that ask if applicants have a criminal record. Although it is illegal in New York state for employers to discriminate against a candidate because of a criminal record, some employers reportedly continue to take it under consideration.

“I encourage the public to get behind this movement based on the fact that if we can get these individuals hired and keep them employed, that’s really what’s driving our recidivism rate down,” said Weise, indicating that individuals are 33 percent less likely to return to jail if they can land a job.

In addition, if individuals have some form of personal identification after they’re released, their job opportunities will only improve.

According to Weise, many inmates tend to lose much of their personal belongings upon incarceration, including their hard-to-replace personal identification materials. To fix this, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office recently started to provide government-issued photo identification for those inmates unable to get one. Background checks are given prior.

“Some people do get denied (a photo ID) if they’ve used multiple aliases before,” Weise said. “But I think overall this is going to improve (our recidivism rate) because I know that certain people have gotten employment based solely on the fact that they had ID.”

In 2013, the county had a recidivism rate of approximately 40 percent for those inmates who had been out for a year; which, according to Weise, is a good number considering the national average ranges from 63-83 percent.

However, she added, the recidivism rate jumped nearly 20 percentage points within a two-year period, calling into question the long-range prospects of inmates transitioning out.

In 2014, 12 individuals who participated in the county’s reentry programs- the Department of Labor’s “Work For Success” program, the 200 percent of Poverty’s “Ready, Set, Work” program, etc.- found a job. In 2015, four have been employed so far.