Many of these problems are mitigated when a prisoner has a college degree, a support network and access to health resources. One Urban Institute study found that the former inmates most likely to be employed eight months after they were released were those who had jobs before they entered prison, worked or had job training while behind bars, were married or who got work with the help of a former employee. Prisoners whose families or friends can help provide them with jobs and other resources may not even need any connections to social service programs to get their lives back in order.