Helping Ex-Prisoners Reconnect to Life

 Employment

Employment and Reentry – A focus goal is to provide job search strategies for ex offenders.  Service industry jobs – Construction, construction clean up, Manufacturing jobs, Fitness, customer service, and data entry.  Health Care – Senior Care Provider, Care for developmentally disable, medical billing and coding.  Restaurant food janitorial, mechanics, early childhood development, senior care, hotel travel industry, fire fighters etc. – will be a focus for Middle Passage II- THE LIFE CYCLE OF REENTRY for both male and female adults attempting to reestablish themselves as positive members of society to assist with their effort to overcome obstacles that have plagued progress and circumstances resulting in arrested development.  Research has shown a clear link between crime and work . Having a legitimate job lessens the chances of reoffending following release from prison. Also, the higher the wages, the less likely it is that returning prisoners will return to crime, However, studies also show that released prisoners confront diminished prospect for stable employment and decent wages throughout their lifetimes. Job training and placement programs show promise in connecting former prisoners to work, thereby reducing their likelihood of further offending. Yet, fewer inmates are receiving in-prison vocational training than in the past and fewer still have access to transitional programs that help connect them to jobs in the community.

In addition to public safety concerns, there is currently a heightened level of interest in the issue of prisoner reentry and employment across other sectors of society concerned about workforce development issues. State agencies, the federal government, and local communities are now exploring the negative impacts of incarceration on former prisoners’ abilities to obtain and maintain employment and become productive members of society. Research shows that the majority of prisoners are not prepared for the completive labor market upon release.

Although most prisoners held a job before their incarceration, they confront many barriers to employment such as low education levels, stigma, and lost time in the labor force, upon their return to the community. Former prisoners employment prospects have direct and important impact for their abilities to contribute to the viability and stability of their families and communities.