Two out of three released prisoners return to jail. Job training can break the cycle, and lawmakers can make it happen.

The U.S. has about 4 percent of the world’s people but nearly 20 percent of its prisoners. About two out of three released prisoners are rearrested within three years. That is not a system that works. It is a revolving door.

Prison should punish. It should keep dangerous people off the streets. The threat of it can even stop some crimes before they happen. But most inmates come home one day, and we should care what kind of neighbors they will be.

Too often, a 19-year-old goes in for a serious mistake and comes out a few years later with no job skills, a drug habit and new gang ties. Employers won’t hire him. Landlords won’t rent to him. Crime becomes the easy path, because the honest paths are closed. Some people beat the odds. Most don’t.

Meanwhile, thousands of inmates who are not violent spend their days sleeping, watching TV and staying out of trouble. That is a waste of time and a waste of tax dollars.

There is a better way.

• Teach a trade. Carpentry, welding, auto repair, plumbing, electrical and HVAC all lead to real jobs.
• Offer real education. A GED or college classes can change how a person sees the future.
• Treat addiction. Sober people hold jobs and stay out of cells.
• Plan for release day. A person who walks out with an ID, a skill and a job lead has a fighting chance.

Washington has made a start. The bipartisan First Step Act of 2018 expanded education and rehab programs in federal prisons and cut some overly long sentences. Lawmakers from both parties backed it. But many good programs are still underused, and states can do more on their own.

Here is one more idea worth a look: reward prison leaders when fewer inmates return. If we pay for results in other parts of government, why not here? A prison that truly corrects behavior should be the one that gets the raise.

The payoff is simple. Every person who leaves ready to work becomes a taxpayer instead of a cost. Families stay together. Neighborhoods get safer. Budgets get a break.

Locking people up is easy. Helping them stay out is the hard part, and it is the part that pays off. Lawmakers hold the power to fund these programs, set the rules and demand results. If we want fewer repeat offenders, the work starts in their hands.