Second Chance Hiring = Inclusion, Equity, Less Unemployment

latest_feb_2021WEB_1920x1080.png

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, formerly incarcerated people are unemployed at a rate nearly 5 times higher* than that of the U.S. general population. Given our culture and the hiring stigma often associated with former felons, that piece of information probably doesn’t surprise you. Sadly, this likely won’t either: Black men and women (ages 35-44) experience the highest rates of unemployment amongst those formerly incarcerated.

 
“Prison Penalty” line graph from Prison Policy Initiative
 

Events of the past 12 months have propelled many businesses and organizations throughout our country to rethink their policies and practices in order to become more inclusive and equitable working environments for people of color. Second Chance Hiring (hiring those with criminal records) can be a powerful action step to help businesses and organizations accomplish these efforts while reducing unemployment.

To better understand the potential for impact, we highly encourage you to take 5 minutes and read the Prison Policy Initiative’s report titled, “Out of Prison & Out of Work”. PPI is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization. They let the data found in this report speak for itself and are transparent about the scope, sources, and limitations of their research.

For our program participants (many of whom are Black), meaningful Second Chance Employment can make the difference between a new life spent positively contributing to their families and our communities or continuing to be a part of the saddening numbers and statistics shared in reports like PPI’s.

 
Employment reduces recidivism quote from Prison Policy Initiative
 

Interested in Second Chance Hiring?
Don’t know where to start?
We’d love to talk with you about becoming
a TRP Mentor/Employment Partner!

 

*The report referenced in this post is from July 2018. It does not take into account the COVID-19 pandemic. The report uses data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Former Prisoner Survey which dates back to 2008.

Note: This message was originally sent on 2/15/21 to our email list subscribers.
It may be slightly edited and reformatted for use on this website.

NewsEthan Cook