KINGSTON, R.I. – Aug. 27, 2026 – For some justice-involved individuals, returning to society after serving time is an arduous task. Among many challenges such individuals face when released from prison, stigma notwithstanding, are gaining meaningful employment to support their families and returning to a more normal life in the community.

But there are few workforce training programs focused on reducing recidivism. Some also question whether these training programs can effectively help people stay out of prison and meaningfully reintegrate back into society.

However, one program may offer a glimmer of hope that recidivism can be minimized through workforce training, according to a recent extensive study conducted by Natalie Pifer, chair of the URI Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and associate professor Chelsea Farrell. Their 65-page report offers a comprehensive empirical review of Providence-based nonprofit Building Futures’ construction training and therapeutic program that prepares incarcerated individuals for a chance at stable employment upon release from the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institutions.

Pifer and Farrell compiled statistical data and collected first-hand perspectives from program participants, staff and stakeholders from Building Futures and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections from January 2023 through September 2025 to gauge the program’s effectiveness. The study was funded by a 2023 Public Policy Lab Fellowship award from URI’s Social Science Institute for Research, Education, and Policy and by a subaward from Building Futures’ Federal Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative Award.

“Those who come home from prison need an accessible pathway that can support them coming back into our communities, raising a family and having access to economic stability,” Pifer said. “It would make it easier for them to return to society.”

“We hope this report fosters with the public that those returning home from prison need access to opportunities to be successful,” Farrell said. “Funding programs such as this is really essential if we want to do more than just expect people to simply figure it out upon release to make any significant changes in their lives.”

Positive outlook

Building Futures Inside, formerly known as “Bridge to Opportunity,” offers hands-on construction skills training and construction-related education in a classroom setting with math assistance and a therapeutic curriculum. Pifer and Farrell conducted interviews and surveys with participants and program stakeholders wanting to know how Building Futures Inside operates, how participants experience it and, ultimately, if the program effectively helps people stay out of prison. They also sought to holistically understand participants’ well-being and satisfaction throughout their journey in the program.

According to their report, Building Futures Inside does provide a window for those incarcerated to stay out of prison after being released. Pifer and Farrell’s data shows that 95% of participants graduated from the program in the study’s time period, with about 7 of every 10 program participants securing full-time employment afterward—an “incredible accomplishment,” Pifer and Farrell note in the report.

Importantly, the risk of recidivism drops dramatically for those enrolled in Building Futures Inside. During the 33-month study period, Pifer and Farrell found that roughly 9% of released participants were reincarcerated, well below the RIDOC’s reported statewide rate of 43%.

“We launched Building Futures Inside in 2023 to give people the tools they need to return home, succeed in our community-based pre-apprenticeship, and enter rewarding careers with family-sustaining wages. Professors Pifer and Farrell’s independent evaluation demonstrated that our program is a ‘high-fidelity, high-impact program that effectively prepares incarcerated individuals for future careers in construction, supports successful reentry, and likely contributes to reduced recidivism,’ and the results speak for themselves,” Building Futures President and CEO Andrew Cortes said. “Registered apprenticeships are a path to construction careers and productive lives after incarceration.”

Both Farrell and Pifer say that while the low recidivism rate with Building Futures Inside provides optimism that workforce training programs for incarcerated individuals can be successful in keeping them out of trouble, more long-term evaluation is needed to fully validate the program’s success. 

“Early results are very promising, but we need more time to continue to follow individuals longitudinally and also have an opportunity for everyone who has participated in the program to return to the community,” Pifer said. 

Additionally, those who complete Building Futures’ registered apprentice program can become financially sound in the construction trade. The report states the average hourly wage of $38.68 is more than $15 more than the highest hourly wage some incarcerated individuals made before being sent to prison. Therefore, Building Futures Inside helps individuals “obtain sustainable careers with livable wages,” the report states.

But the program offers participants more than just skills; it also offers optimism. The study notes that participants reported increased hope and resilience as they approached release. For example, the report notes one program participant paired their professional goals with providing for their family. Another told researchers that being independent—living on their own—and staying focused to avoid returning to prison is important.

“When we think about program sustainability and participant buy-in in determining program success, hearing from the folks how much they valued their experience in the program was the ultimate highlight for me with this study,” Farrell said. 

Pifer and Farrell’s study also offered key recommendations to help Building Futures sustain and expand its work. Some recommendations include finalizing scoring procedures to ensure equitable access to the program, particularly for younger applicants; exploring opportunities to incorporate more varied trades within security restraints; and working with RIDOC in order to expand to additional facilities in the system to deliver the program to more individuals.