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| Connecting Jail Inmates to Jobs |
| By Michelle Gaseau, Managing Editor |
| Published: 04/13/2001 |
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While prisons have caught onto the idea of preparing offenders for release through job training and connections to community services, few jails have found the opportunity to do the same. Several agencies that promote the benefits of offender job training and employment are trying to spread the word among jails to increase this type of training. 'We all know there is a strong link between success after release and employment,' said Rod Miller of CRS Inc., a non-profit organization focusing on jail work and industries programs. Miller said one problem is that because many jails deal with different authorities in terms of inmate sentences, such as the courts and probation services, they don't have a strong incentive to get the offender ready for a successful release. This, combined with the lack of research on successful release and employment, means that most jails who provide pre-release planning and services for inmates are doing so because of an individual's or an agency's vision. 'There's grant money that is floating around in the Department of Labor budget [for these purposes.] [But] this whole issue is taken from the local perspective. Offender employment is far and away a discretionary activity,' Miller said. Some county jails have understood the benefits of pre-release job training for offenders for years. Montgomery County in Maryland has been providing job readiness training for offenders since the 1970s. And, in Washington State, The Corrections Clearinghouse, a unit of the Washington State Employment Security Department, helps prepare prison and jail offenders for the workplace. Montgomery County Begins New Era in Pre-release Training Montgomery County, Md., Department of Correction and Rehabilitation has been able to place about 500 ex-offenders each year in jobs through its pre-release training programs. Now it hopes to do even more for these offenders through a new collaboration with other community services. According to Eric Seleznow, Work Force Manager for the department, a state Byrne grant through the state's Office of Crime Control and Prevention has allowed the department to start a new offender employment project. 'What we wanted to do was hire an offender employment specialist in the community who works out of the [local] one-stop employment center. Our thinking is corrections needs to be at the table because we are right in the middle of these communities,' he said. Under the federal Workforce Investment Act, which went into effect last year, communities are required to open one-stop centers to enhance employment service delivery and workforce development. According to Seleznow, these centers can include offices for training, job banks, classes, housing commission, mental health department, disabilities programs, and job training for offenders. 'We want to partner with everyone we can in the community to get offenders not just working but engaged in the other services and resources in the community,' Seleznow said. According to Miller, the one-stop centers are a perfect home for corrections-related job training and placement. 'With the new labor legislation. The one-stop concept is a perfect handoff for the jails. This one-stop concept is working tremendously well. There is a lack of current knowledge of what other agencies are doing,' he said. Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation placed an offender employment specialist in the one-stop center to assist ex-offenders, but the job's scope goes beyond that office. 'His role is to spend time coming into the jail and getting to know the people who are within 90 days of release, doing some job preparation and readiness training and, most importantly, establishing a linkage to his office located at the one stop in our community,' said Seleznow. 'We want to pull offenders into the one stop so they can use all the services there and have someone who is specially trained [to help them.]' Another part of the specialist's job is to know the local business community, understand what jobs are open and communicate with local employers. 'There are so many employers who need to be educated, and offenders need to be educated about how to explain their charges to prospective employers,' said Seleznow. In addition, employers who agree to hire ex-offenders can take advantage of a tax credit and are protected by a federal bonding program. 'We bond employers who hire our offenders. It helps a lot. These are all different tools to help offenders get jobs. The most important [thing is] to be honest with the business community and establish credibility,' he said. The one-stop is also a service for offenders other than those coming from the jail. According to Seleznow, those on probation or parole as well as any state ex-offender can take advantage of the services there. But Seleznow is quick to point out that the offenders who participate in the programs and who are placed in jobs are screened so they can be as successful as possible. This is a very important aspect in ensuring an ex-offender's success in the community after release. 'This is to teach them how to get jobs and structure their lives; how to make money and support their families and be responsible,' he said. Screening and Placement Since October, the Montgomery County one-stop, called MontgomeryWorks, has screened 328 offenders and placed about 130 in employment or training or education at an average wage of $9 an hour. Ten percent of those placed have been women and the jobs range from skilled and semi-skilled to unskilled -- from computer technicians to landscapers. 'It has to be a job they can do. We keep them from jobs that are not safe. We want to be careful where we place people with theft backgrounds and sex offender backgrounds [very carefully,]' Seleznow said. Some ex-offenders may have had some skills prior to incarceration or learned skills in a jail work program, explained Seleznow, but in all cases, the program tries to teach ex-offenders how to be a good employee - hard working and punctual. John Rakis, Associate Executive Director for the Osborne Association, which recently joined forces with the South Forty Corporation to offer employment and other services to former offenders in New York City, said the information these offenders receive while incarcerated is crucial to their success. 'They [offenders] think they are discriminated against. [But] that is not true. There are programs that will serve ex-offenders but they have to take the step to keep the appointment. Our job is to make sure they know what is available,' said Rakis. The former South Forty program not only provides an extensive employment service, where a staff member connects with offenders, but also has job developers working with employers who have openings and will hire these individuals. 'The one advantage we have is when we send someone to an interview, they know they are an ex-offender,' said Rakis. In addition, the program helps ex-offenders with some of the details related to finding a job. If an offender needs a suit or dress, there are funds to help them. If they need a resume, the staff will help construct it for them. If they need tools for a mechanic's job or money for transportation, the program can provide it. 'In some cases we will give them a transit card for the first week. If they don't get a paycheck for the first week, they have a hard time,' said Rakis. The program also offers follow-up services for at least six months after placement. The program staff helps the ex-offenders work through any problems they might have during that time as well as continuing job opportunities for them. 'We place well over 1,000 prisoners each year and it is approaching 1,500. Our job is to work quickly. We have two customers, one is the client who comes from the jail, the other is the employer,' he said. That responsibility to the employer is to match the right employee to the open job. Part of this process involves screening to ensure that the ex-offender fits the job requirements. 'When we make an appointment for someone to see us, if they come late to us, they will come late to the employer. We observe how they act, how they are dressed, are they running to the bathroom every five minutes?' Rakis said. The employment specialists also discuss in depth the ex-offender's entire career, including how far they went in school, the jobs they have held in the past as well as training in the prison or jail. 'We also identify every barrier to employment they face such as housing, drug problems, family problems. If we see there is a barrier that is not addressed before the interview, we will deal with that problem first. We will help find housing with a relative or in shelter, then we will go the next step. We make sure they are ready,' he said. With employers, Rakis said it is important to sell the service. 'We want them to feel comfortable with the people we bring. Some employers say no way and that's ok. With others, we ask them what they are looking for as an employee,' he said. He said by approaching an employer and asking what their best employee is like and their skill level, the employer understands you are looking to place the right person in the job. Another important approach to consider is that this type of service can save the employer money. 'It's really important to view the employer as a customer and this as either a no cost or low cost solution,' said Rakis. 'We tell the employer they are going to spend money to look for employees and do background checks. We have a huge database and we will send someone who matches [their] needs.' Rakis said in addition, his agency helps employers secure government subsidies and tax rebates when they participate. 'We think it makes good business sense,' he said. For more information, contact: Rod Miller of CRS, Inc. at (301) 349-5702 Eric Seleznow at Montgomery County Eric.seleznow@co.mo.md.us John Rakis of the Osborne Association at 212-673-6633 - ext 325 or visit the agency's website - our Site of the Week |
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