The three chapters on pre-imprisonment employment examine jobs offenders had prior to incarceration. In one study, data from Federal inmates were analyzed to determine any differences between inmates who were employed and unemployed at the time of their arrest. The three chapters of the second section examine the effects of prison-run vocational programs on inmates' crime after release. In balancing the views of a former Federal prison warden, the findings of an evaluation of a Federal vocational training program, and the perspectives of State inmates, these chapters reveal the importance of strong institutional job-related programming. The three chapters of the third section focus on employment for ex-inmates after their release into the community. One chapter profiles the work of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority in order to show how a State agency can impact correctional strategies that may enhance ex-offender employability. A second chapter presents the findings of a study of street-gang, drug-dealing social and job networks, which were found to provide a ready-made vehicle for meeting the social as well as economic needs of ex-offenders. A third chapter reviews evaluations of work programs for ex-offenders. The chapters of the concluding section focus on the importance of community networks in determining whether ex-offenders are drawn into illegal or legal paths for income and social interaction. Subject index and chapter tables, figures, and references