This paper details the assumptions guiding the National Supported Work Demonstration and describes the distinctions between Supported Work and other manpower and employment programs for ex-offenders. The theoretial linkages between crime, poverty, and unemployment postulated by sociologists and economists are discussed, along with their contributions to intervention policies and programs. A review of manpower programs that have attempted to produce changes in the behavior and lifestyle of ex-offenders through changes in employment opportunities reveals major drawbacks and inconclusive results. These problems provide a basis for the development of several key characteristics of Supported Work, which reflect both policy suggestions and theoretical explanations. While the potential for success of the Supported Work Program is assumed to derive from its contrast to earlier programs, the importance of recognizing the presence of many barriers in any attempt to intervene in the relationship between employment status and crime is stressed. (Author)