Finding a job is hard enough these days, but finding one when you have a criminal record can be all but impossible.

James Daniels knows. After spending nearly three years in prison for a drug crime — possession of marijuana with intent to deliver — he was released March 31, 2012, only to learn that some potential employers couldn't see past the felony.

"I made dumb mistakes when I was younger that led to my conviction," Daniels said. "But there's a lot more to me than just that."

Daniels worked hard to earn a second chance, building up his résumé and rebuilding his reputation through several retail jobs. He networked with people and eventually landed a job in the construction industry; today he works for a roofing company.

"Once I obtained that first job at the mall, doors started to open for me," Daniels said.

In Milwaukee County, approximately 4,800 men and women returned to their homes in 2014 after serving time in prison, according to local agencies that assist in their transition, and many of them will be unemployed for months, if not years.....

.....Tianna Doxy, out of prison since October 2013 after a drug conviction, now has a carpentry job as a result of the help she received through Genesis in Milwaukee.

She does a little bit of everything, including painting and drywall work. Eventually, she would like to have her own business.....

.....Stable employment is helpful in a successful transition from prison, according to experts. Temporary jobs and training programs, while important in developing skills and keeping someone from returning to prison, aren't a long-term solution.

One study that looked at transitional jobs assistance for ex-offenders found that participants weren't very successful in finding permanent, unsubsidized employment.

It's disappointing for everyone when that happens, said Cindy Redcross, a senior associate with MDRC, a New York-based social research firm that reported the study and has done work in Milwaukee.

"The programs provided temporary jobs to many who would not otherwise have worked. But at the end of the first year, only one-third of the group ... was employed in the formal labor market," MDRC noted.

That was similar to a control group of ex-offenders given basic job search assistance but no subsidized jobs.....

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