Abstract: Guaranteed Income and Reentry: Perspectives from Formerly Incarcerated Young Adults (Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary)

Schedule:

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Marquis BR 9, ML 2 (Marriott Marquis Washington DC)

* noted as presenting author

Laura S. Abrams, PhD, Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Julia Lesnick, Graduate Student, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Nofar Mazursky, PhD, Professor, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Reese Howard, MPP, Reearch Associate, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Elizabeth Barnert, MD, Pediatrician, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, CA

Background: Young adults reentering the community following incarceration are at high risk for recidivism and a range of economic, social, and emotional challenges. Although research has examined how interventions such as counseling, case management, and employment training can lessen reentry burdens, more studies are needed to understand how a Guaranteed Income (GI) intervention may ameliorate the material and structural challenges associated with reentry during the transition to adulthood. This paper reports on a qualitative process study of a randomized GI intervention for formerly incarcerated young adults.

Methods: This paper stems from a randomized trial of a GI intervention for formerly incarcerated young adults in Los Angeles and Sacramento County that launched in fall 2023. Seventy-five young adults (aged 18-25) were randomly assigned to either 12 months of GI payments ($500 per month) plus case management or a waitlist control group who received case management for the first 12 months and then received the GI. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 21 participants recruited by convenience from the experiment: 10 in the treatment group and 11 in the waitlist control group. The average age of participants (18 men, 3 women) was 22.5 years. We interviewed participants at 9 months after study initiation and at 18 months. We used a semi-structured interview guide to discuss reentry hurdles, saving and spending, and navigating the onset and termination of the monthly payments. Interviews were conducted via Zoom, lasted 45-75 minutes, and were transcribed using Otter.AI. Analysis was conducted using a “RADar” technique, using Excel spreadsheets to iteratively reduce data into more concise and targeted sections to compare across timepoints and participants.

Results: Participants reported multiple tangible benefits during the period when they received cash assistance. They described how the extra monthly guaranteed income eased some of the burdens of financial independence and assisted them in staying out of trouble with the law by reducing stress and helping them stay on track with personal and professional goals. In particular, GI income was helpful in managing new financial responsibilities and independence in areas of food, rent, and transportation. The monthly GI provided some participants with income to extend beyond basic needs and put money into savings for emergencies, long-term goals such as higher education or vocational certifications, or large but essential expenses such as car repairs or rental deposits. Others who were more sporadically employed or unemployed used the GI to cover food and essential needs such as clothing, and were unable to save funds for longer-term needs.

Conclusion and Implications: This process study finds that the GI, in addition to case management services, may be an effective way to ease reentry burden and assist formerly incarcerated young adults in launching an independent financial picture. GI can be supplemented with other strategies, such as housing and employment programs, to assist young adults in making a safe transition from jail or prison to independent and more financially secure adulthood. More research is needed to understand how young people navigate financial need after the intervention ends.