Workplace ReConnections is a team of staff, volunteers, a Board of Directors, committees and involved ex-offenders dedicated to reclaiming and reconnecting ex-offenders by empowering, equipping and supporting them to become active contributors to the community.
Problem Statement
Viable job prospects can be few and far between for persons returning to the community from prison or jail, even for those who have benefited from education and vocational programming. The opportunities that do exist are limited further by laws, regulations, or policies that prohibit or discourage employers from hiring people with criminal records. Former offenders are also limited by lack of marketable skills, a positive work ethic, and basic life skills, and may also face poverty, hunger, homelessness and inadequate family support systems.
How Employment Re-entry is Mitigated by Workplace ReConnections’ Programming
Programming has a component to educate employers about financial incentives, such as the Federal Bonding Program, Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Welfare-to-Work programs, and first-source agreements, which make a person who was released from prison a more appealing prospective employee. The willingness of employers to hire this population can be increased if a third-party intermediary is involved and if they are informed about financial incentives and protections. Programming also has a mechanism for reviewing employment laws that affect the employment of people based on criminal history, as well as efforts to eliminate those provisions that are not directly linked to improving public safety. Support programming and case management address material needs, while employment readiness/retention instruction and the transitional employment programming provide critical job search/ retention skills and appropriate job site work habit practice.