Should Retailers Be Hiring More Ex-Cons?

Iceland Foods has opened the first grocery store inside a United Kingdom prison with a primary goal of preparing incarcerated people to reenter life outside prison, but a secondary one of helping recruit retail employees.

The prison’s new “marketplace” area also includes a sweet shop, a consumer electronics store, a coffee shop, a produce stand, and a sports store.

Inmates holding retail jobs gain skills to help secure a job upon release. They’re also given Monopoly-style money up to a maximum of £25 (U.S. $33) per week for taking part in various workshops, which helps support their return to normal routines in society.

For the prison, the prospect of shopping or working at the marketplace incentivizes good behavior.

For Iceland, the program acts as a recruiting tool — around 350 former offenders are currently employed by the company, and another 300 have job offers waiting for them upon release. Each applicant undergoes a 40-minute interview to determine whether they’re suitable for a retail assistant or delivery driver position. Iceland finds ex-prisoners are often its best employees.

Ellen Herickx, the supermarket’s employment lead manager, told The Times, “They’re less likely to reoffend, they’re less likely to mess up because they’ve got structure, routine, stability, so straight away they’re on the right path. And they’re grateful because they didn’t expect another chance.”

The program was inspired by the Nordic incarceration model pioneered in the 1990s that focuses on work and education rather than punishment in order to reduce recidivism.

In California, the San Quentin State Prison is being renovated with the addition of a farmers market, self-service grocery store, and café for similar reasons. Todd Javernick, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “The initiative’s goal is creating safer communities and a better life for all Californians, by breaking cycles of crime for the incarcerated population, while improving workplace conditions for institution staff.”

Giant Food has partnered with Maryland’s correctional facility since 2022 to give inmates jobs at its refrigerated distribution center in Jessup, Maryland, with a goal of converting the prisoners to permanent status upon release, according to an article last year from Grocery Dive.

Giant is selective about who they choose. Brandi Petway, human resources facility lead at Giant, told Grocery Dive, “It’s no different than interviewing several candidates for any type of role within the company.”

The program has helped Giant reduce its reliance on costly third-party staffing and demonstrates community support. Petway told Grocery Dive, “It’s bringing people back into the workforce, which is something that is talked about widely.”

A Fast Company article reported in 2019 that 60% to 75% of those released from incarceration remain unemployed a year after their release. According to a poll cited in the same article, 78% of Americans are comfortable buying goods/services from a company that hires ex-cons, although only 31% are okay doing business with someone who served time for a violent offense.