The US and the UK are currently reforming welfare policy to emphasise work. This article draws upon the findings of research conducted for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation which examined how employers respond to job applications from offenders to discuss the challenges faced by policy makers engaged in welfare reform. A key finding is that despite a growing policy interest in helping offenders into work, the UK government is about to implement legislation that will heighten the discrimination they face in the labour market. This contradiction reflects a selective reading of US evidence on helping move people from welfare to work by British policy makers and the weak political position of offenders.