Challenges Faced by Ex-Offenders in Securing Employment in Green Job Sectors: Systematic Literature Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/jibe.v10i1.4345Keywords:
Ex-offenders, Systematic literature review, Green jobs, ROSES, Employment barriersAbstract
This systematic literature review explores the challenges ex-offenders face in securing employment within the growing green job sector, with a specific focus on studies published in Asia between 2000 and 2014. Guided by the ROSES (Reporting Standards for Systematic Evidence Syntheses) protocol, this study follows a structured and transparent process. Four relevant studies were selected from reputable databases, including Scopus, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and BASE-Search. This study identifies several recurring barriers: employer discrimination, limited access to green skills training, weak policy support, and persistent social stigma. These challenges not only reduce employment opportunities for ex-offenders but also hinder broader efforts to build inclusive and sustainable labour markets. The findings offer valuable insights for employers, policymakers, and rehabilitation programs. They emphasize the need for targeted training programs, supportive policies, and fair hiring practices. Ultimately, this study highlights the potential of green jobs as a pathway to successful reintegration, reduced recidivism, and a more socially just and environmentally sustainable society.
References
Ali, A. A., Lyons, B. J., & Ryan, A. M. (2017). Managing a perilous stigma: Ex-offenders’ use of reparative impression management tactics in hiring contexts. Journal of applied psychology, 102(9), 1271.
Anazodo, K. S., Ricciardelli, R., & Chan, C. (2019). Employment after incarceration: managing a socially stigmatized identity. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 38(5), 564-582.
Araújo, N., Cardoso, L., Fraiz Brea, J. A., & De Araújo, A. F. (2018). Green Jobs: The Present and Future of the Building Industry. Evolution Analysis. Social Sciences, 7(12), 266.
Atkin, C. A., & Armstrong, G. S. (2013). Does the concentration of parolees in a community impact employer attitudes toward the hiring of ex-offenders? Criminal Justice Policy Review, 24(1), 71-93.
Bartram, J., & Setty, K. (2021). Environmental health science and engineering for policy, programming, and practice. Journal of Environmental Engineering, 147(10), 03121002.
Beahler, C. C., Sundheim, J. J., & Trapp, N. I. (2000). Information retrieval in systematic reviews: challenges in the public health arena. American journal of preventive medicine, 18(4), 6-10.
Berg, M. T., & Huebner, B. M. (2011). Reentry and the ties that bind: An examination of social ties, employment, and recidivism. Justice quarterly, 28(2), 382-410.
Bollinger, C. R., & Yelowitz, A. (2021). Targeting intensive job assistance to ex‐offenders by the nature of offense: Results from a randomized control trial. Economic Inquiry, 59(3), 1308-1327.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
Chow, R., Huang, E., Li, A., Li, S., Fu, S. Y., Son, J. S., & Foster, W. G. (2021). Appraisal of systematic reviews on interventions for postpartum depression: systematic review. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 21, 1-11.
Chu, C. M., & Daffern, M. (2024). Approaches to Offender Rehabilitation in Asian Jurisdictions. Taylor & Francis.
Cooper, C., Booth, A., Varley-Campbell, J., Britten, N., & Garside, R. (2018). Defining the process to literature searching in systematic reviews: a literature review of guidance and supporting studies. BMC medical research methodology, 18, 1-14.
Cortegiani, A., Ippolito, M., Ingoglia, G., Manca, A., Cugusi, L., Severin, A.,…Manoj, L. (2020). Citations and metrics of journals discontinued from Scopus for publication concerns: the GhoS (t) copus Project. F1000Research, 9, 415.
Darakai, A., Day, A., & Graffam, J. (2017). Public attitudes towards the employment of ex-offenders with a disability. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, 8(1), 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/jidob-11-2016-0021
Dieteren, C. M., Patty, N. J., Reckers-Droog, V. T., & van Exel, J. (2023). Methodological choices in applications of Q methodology: A systematic literature review. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 7(1), 100404.
Drepper, B., Bamps, B., Gobin, A., & Van Orshoven, J. (2022). Strategies for managing spring frost risks in orchards: effectiveness and conditionality—a systematic review. Environmental Evidence, 11(1), 29.
Duwe, G., & King, M. (2013). Can Faith-BasedCorrectional Programs Work? An Outcome Evaluation of the InnerChange Freedom Initiative in Minnesota. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 57(7), 813-841.
Feingold, Z. R. (2021). The stigma of incarceration experience: A systematic review. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 27(4), 550.
Formon, D. L., Schmidt, A. T., & Henderson, C. (2018). Examining employment outcomes of offender and nonoffender vocational program graduates. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 62(9), 2781-2800.
Freeman, J. J., Yorkgitis, B. K., Haines, K., Koganti, D., Patel, N., Maine, R.,…Kasotakis, G. (2022). Vaccination after spleen embolization: a practice management guideline from the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma. Injury, 53(11), 3569-3574.
Freire, C., & Pieta, P. (2022). The impact of green human resource management on organizational citizenship behaviors: The mediating role of organizational identification and job satisfaction. Sustainability, 14(13), 7557.
Gantt‐Howrey, A., Park, C. J., Griffith, J. A., Jones, J. L., Robins, L. B., & Johnson, K. F. (2024). Addressing social determinants of health: Supporting ex‐offenders’ employment through use of the Systems Theory Framework. Journal of Employment Counseling, 61(1), 2-17.
Georgeson, L., & Maslin, M. (2019). Estimating the scale of the US green economy within the global context. Palgrave Communications, 5(121), 1-12.
Griffith, J. N., & Young, N. C. J. (2017). Hiring ex-offenders? The case of Ban the Box. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 36(6), 501-518.
Haddaway, N. R., Collins, A. M., Coughlin, D., & Kirk, S. (2015). The role of Google Scholar in evidence reviews and its applicability to grey literature searching. PloS one, 10(9), e0138237.
Handayani, M. N., Ali, M., & Mukhidin, D. W. (2020). Industry perceptions on the need of green skills in agribusiness vocational graduates. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 12(2), 24-33.
Hiam, D., Moreno-Asso, A., Teede, H. J., Laven, J. S., Stepto, N. K., Moran, L. J., & Gibson-Helm, M. (2019). The genetics of polycystic ovary syndrome: an overview of candidate gene systematic reviews and genome-wide association studies. Journal of clinical medicine, 8(10), 1606.
Holloway, C. P., & Wiener, R. L. (2020). Criminal History, Sex, and Employment: Sex Differences in Ex‐Offender Hiring Stigma. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 20(1), 211-229.
Holzer, H. J., Raphael, S., & Stoll, M. A. (2007). The effect of an applicant’s criminal history on employer hiring decisions and screening practices: Evidence from Los Angeles. Barriers to reentry, 4(15), 117-150.
Hoonakker, P. L., Carayon, P., Brown, R. L., & Werner, N. E. (2022). A Systematic Review of the Consumer Emergency Care Satisfaction Scale (CECSS). Journal of nursing care quality, 37(4), 349-355.
Ibrahim, N., & Mohd Sapian, S. (2023). Factors influencing customers’ selection of Islamic home financing: a systematic review. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 16(1), 59-84.
Ismail, I., Hashim, N. A., & Hussain, W. (2020). Becoming social entrepreneurs: A proposal for uplifting the lives of ex-convicts in Malaysia. Proceeding of the 7th International Conference on Management and Muamalah, (pp. 173-187)
Jones, S. R. (2016). Representing returning citizen entrepreneurs in the nation's capital. Journal of Affordable Housing, 25(1), 45.
Kaliappan, A., & Hamid, H. (2021). Green technology: A must or a need in TVET education in Malaysia? Journal of Technical Education and Training, 13(1), 86-96.
Kandemir, B., & Çakmak, E. K. (2021). Structure in distance learning: A systematic literature review. Participatory Educational Research, 8(4), 139-170.
Karachalios, G., & Kotsios, V. (2023). Green Skills in the European Labour Markets. HAPSc Policy Briefs Series, 4(1), 111-126.
Khasni, F. N., Keshminder, J., & Chuah, S. (2021). Hiring Ex-Offenders: An Application of Theory of Planned Behaviour. Journal of International Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship, 6(1), 78-86.
Khasni, F. N., Keshminder, J., Chuah, S. C., & Ramayah, T. (2023). A theory of planned behaviour: perspective on rehiring ex-offenders. Management Decision, 61(1), 313-338.
Kowalska, K., Szczygieł, E., Szyja, P., & Śliwa, R. (2022). Green skills in the field of Social Economy. In: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego, Kraków.
Li, Z., & Rainer, A. (2022). Academic search engines: constraints, bugs, and recommendations. Proceedings of the 13th International Workshop on Automating Test Case Design, Selection and Evaluation, (pp. 25-32)
Liem, M., & Weggemans, D. (2018). Reintegration among high-profile ex-offenders. Journal of developmental and life-course criminology, 4(4), 473-490.
Milfeld, T., Haley, E., & Flint, D. J. (2021). A Fresh Start for Stigmatized Groups: The Effect of Cultural Identity Mindset Framing in Brand Advertising. Journal of Advertising, 50(5), 603-621.
Mohamed Shaffril, H. A., Samsuddin, S. F., & Abu Samah, A. (2021). The ABC of systematic literature review: the basic methodological guidance for beginners. Quality & Quantity, 55, 1319-1346.
Mohd Abdul Kadir, J., Mhd Noh, N. A., Ramli, A. R., & Hamdan, R. (2022). Subsidies and consumer environmental awareness: a systematic review of aspects and impacts. Journal of International Business, Economics and Entrepreneurship (JIBE), 7(2), 83-90.
Morzenti, H., & Gringeri, C. (2021). Exploring Employer Perceptions of Hiring Ex-Offenders. CrimRxiv.
Mulugeta, H., Sinclair, P. M., & Wilson, A. (2023). Prevalence of depression and its association with health-related quality of life in people with heart failure in low-and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 18(3), e0283146.
Munn, Z., Peters, M. D., Stern, C., Tufanaru, C., McArthur, A., & Aromataris, E. (2018). Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC medical research methodology, 18, 1-7.
Nee, W. Y., Singh, J. S. K., & Kularajasingam, J. (2022). Exploring the Perceptions of Malaysian Employers Towards Hiring Ex-Offenders. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 12(3), 118-118.
Nguyen, A. D., McMahan, Z. H., & Volkmann, E. R. (2022). Micronutrient deficiencies in systemic sclerosis: a scoping review. Open Access Rheumatology: Research and Reviews, 309-327.
Nguyen, H., Thomas, K. J., & Tostlebe, J. J. (2023). Revisiting the relationship between age, employment, and recidivism. Criminology, 61(3), 449-481.
Niyogi, S. (2022). Women, employment and stigma of crime: Narratives of former female convicts from West Bengal. Institute for Social and Economic Change.
Pager, D., & Quillian, L. (2005). Walking the talk? What employers say versus what they do. American Sociological Review, 70(3), 355-380.
Phuchongpravech, T. (2020). Beauty premium, information signaling and job opportunities of ex-prisoners in labour market [Chulalongkorn University]. Chula Digital Colections. (pp. 1-177)
Rahmaningtyas, W., Joyoatmojo, S., Kristiani, K., & Murwaningsih, T. (2023). Building a Sustainable Future: Unraveling the Link between Environmental Awareness and the Cultivation of Employability and Green skills-A Literature Review. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, (pp. 012021)
Ramakers, A. A., Van Wilsem, J. A., Nieuwbeerta, P., & Dirkzwager, A. J. (2015). Returning to a former employer: A potentially successful pathway to ex-prisoner re-employment. British Journal of Criminology, 56(4), 668-688.
Rangaswamy, E., Leon, C. K., & Joy, G. V. (2023). Reflections on a Green Economy with Reference to Green Skills for Green Jobs. In Sustainable Boardrooms: Democratising Governance and Technology for Society and Economy (pp. 71-82). Springer.
Rani, N. D. M., Kamarunzaman, N. Z., & Liu, J. (2022). Pattern of Psychosocial Challenges among Oil and Gas Workers: A systematic review. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 7(20), 431-438.
Rose, E. K. (2021). Does banning the box help ex-offenders get jobs? Evaluating the effects of a prominent example. Journal of Labor Economics, 39(1), 79-113.
Shaffril, H. A. M., Samah, A. A., & Samsuddin, S. F. (2021). Guidelines for developing a systematic literature review for studies related to climate change adaptation. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 22265-22277.
Shaffril, H. A. M., Samah, A. A., Samsuddin, S. F., & Ali, Z. (2019). Mirror-mirror on the wall, what climate change adaptation strategies are practiced by the Asian's fishermen of all? Journal of Cleaner Production, 232, 104-117.
Sheppard, A., & Ricciardelli, R. (2020). Employment after prison: Navigating conditions of precarity and stigma. European Journal of Probation, 12(1), 34-52.
Sherrard, R. (2020). 'Ban the Box'Policies and Criminal Recidivism. Available at SSRN 3515048.
Slager, S. L., Weir, C. R., Kim, H., Mostafa, J., & Del Fiol, G. (2017). Physicians’ perception of alternative displays of clinical research evidence for clinical decision support–A study with case vignettes. Journal of biomedical informatics, 71, S53-S59.
Solinas-Saunders, M., & Stacer, M. J. (2017). A retrospective analysis of repeated incarceration using a national sample: What makes female inmates different from male inmates? Victims & Offenders, 12(1), 138-173.
Solinas‐Saunders, M., & Stacer, M. J. (2017). Fighting labor market discrimination with ban the box (BTB): Are there racial implications? Sociology Compass, 11(11), e12535.
Sukabdi, Z. A., & Wheeler, K. J. (2024). Rehabilitation of People Who Have Offended in Indonesia. In Approaches to Offender Rehabilitation in Asian Jurisdictions (pp. 145-162). Routledge.
Tay, P. (2023). Addressing Employment Challenges for Ex-Offenders. Singapore Labour Journal, 2(01), 89-95.
Tella, A., Oyeniran, S., & Ibironke, E. S. (2021). Determinants of web search effectiveness from the perspective of library and information science students. International Journal of Library and Information Services (IJLIS), 10(2), 1-15.
Tharshini, N., Ibrahim, F., Mohamad, M. S., & Zakaria, E. (2018). Challenges in Re-Entry among Former Inmates: A Review. Sciences, 8(4), 970-979.
Vickers, I., & Lyon, F. (2014). Beyond green niches? Growth strategies of environmentally-motivated social enterprises. International Small Business Journal, 32(4), 449-470.
Wang, Q., Liao, J., Lapata, M., & Macleod, M. (2022). PICO entity extraction for preclinical animal literature. Systematic Reviews, 11(1), 209.
Wang, Y., Ge, Y., Xing, W., Liu, J., Wu, J., Lin, H., & Lu, Y. (2022). The effectiveness and safety of low-level laser therapy on breast cancer–related lymphedema: An overview and update of systematic reviews. Lasers in Medical Science, 37(3), 1389-1413.
Woldoff, R. A., & Washington, H. M. (2008). Arrested contact: The criminal justice system, race, and father engagement. The Prison Journal, 88(2), 179-206.
Zainal, S. N., Ibrahim, F., Zakaria, E., Sulaiman, W. S. W., & Kamaluddin, M. R. (2024). Reducing Recidivism through Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Literature Review.
Zelei, T., Csetneki, K., Voko, Z., & Siffel, C. (2018). Epidemiology of Sanfilippo syndrome: results of a systematic literature review. Orphanet journal of rare diseases, 13, 1-11.
Zhang, M., Wei, X., & Xu, A. (2023). Impact of investment in quality language education on green economic growth: case study of 23 Chinese provinces. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 1-7.
Zhang, S., & Li, D. (2022). The Effects of the “Ban-the-Box” Policy in Frictional Labor Markets. Available at SSRN 4267901.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Fatin Nadirah Khasni, JS KESHMINDER SINGH, S.C. Chuah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
