Securing Internet access is a critical planning issue for the creation of a jail-based American Job Center (AJC). Community-based AJCs increasingly offer resources via the Internet, as the majority of job search activities and applications now occur online.

However, correctional facilities often do not offer any Internet access for inmates due to security concerns, and in jails where Internet access is available, it is generally for purposes unrelated to job search, such as legal research and distance learning, and in designated areas such as a law library or classroom.

Arranging Internet access for the purpose of job search inside a jail-based AJC therefore represents a new and complex endeavor in the jail environment.

This brief uses data from site visits to 8 of the 20 Linking to Employment Activities Pre-release (LEAP) sites to explore the role of Internet access in pre-release employment services. LEAP, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, pilots the creation of jail-based AJCs to support the successful reentry of participants and directly link them to community-based AJCs upon release. This brief also examines the required resources, staffing, and infrastructure for establishing Internet access for a jail-based AJC. The brief concludes with a discussion of the challenges encountered as grantees arranged for Internet access in jail-based AJCs and the strategies that helped them navigate these challenges. Internet installation in a jail setting is a complex endeavor that requires close collaboration between workforce development and jail partners, at both the leadership level and between technical staff from both entities. Three key approaches-flexibility, advanced planning, and adequate budgeting-were critical for ensuring successful installation despite the inherent complications of attempting to arrange Internet access in a jail-based AJC.