There’s a lot of lip service in communities about doing something about the crime rate. Want to know what works? Prison to Employment Connection, a program offered to residents at San Quentin State Prison who are within one year of a release date or have a scheduled Parole Board Hearing within 6 months, reports that formerly incarcerated persons who can maintain a job for one year after release have a recidivism rate of 16%.
The rate for those without employment is 52%. Employing formerly incarcerated persons increases income tax contributions, boosts sales tax contributions, and saves millions of tax dollars by keeping them out of the system.
Employment is often thought to be the biggest single contributor to keeping former inmates out of jail, but they still face hurdles in getting a job. Fortunately, many organizations are starting to turn to formerly incarcerated persons to fill their talent pool.
Job resources for those that need a second chance
It’s hard enough for people who don’t have a criminal background to go through the hiring process. Even when you understand the odds and have the skills to get a good job, you know that you’re going to be rejected. And it hurts to be rejected, especially when you never really know why.
If you’ve been in prison, those rejections can be even more daunting and frustrating. Check out these organizations that are helping the formerly incarcerated get a job:
- Jails to Jobs – a Cedar Park, Texas organization that helps teens who have been incarcerated make the transition to employment.
- Cornbread Hustle – a program that helps the formerly incarcerated find jobs in Texas, South Dakota, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
- Honest Jobs – a nationwide platform that helps people impacted by the justice system find jobs with felony-friendly employers.
These are just a few agencies that work with people who have been impacted by the justice system. There may be local organizations in your own backyard that you can work with. The American Genuis reported on other programs that were helping the formerly incarcerated find work.
Employers benefit from these job resources too
If you are having a hard time finding good employees, reach out to one of these agencies to see if they have talent that fits your needs. Honest Jobs and Cornbread Hustle both say they put candidates first to help them find success. Getting a job after being in the justice system isn’t easy, but having a job is one of the steps to staying out of prison. Hiring the formerly incarcerated doesn’t only benefit the person, it’s good for the community and for your business.