Arizona Department of Corrections

Inmates at an Arizona prison.

Lawmakers across the country — including Arizona — have seriously discussed the concept of sentencing reform to modify how long convicted felons have to serve, depending upon what sort of crime they’ve committed.

But once an ex-prisoner is no longer incarcerated, other barriers remain—many of them focused on finding employment.

We spoke with Stephen Slivinski of ASU’s Center for the Study of Economic Liberty about his new report. It is titled "Turning Shackles into Bootstraps: Why Occupational Licensing Reform Is the Missing Piece of Criminal Justice Reform."