Employment is often a requirement of probation or parole but can be hard to obtain with limited options. Here are a few reasons your company should hire returning citizens.
Securing stable employment after incarceration can be a stressful process for returning citizens. Many companies will deny them an opportunity to interview for available positions strictly based on their criminal background, reducing their chances of fulfilling parole requirements which can increase recidivism rates tremendously. Here are three reasons that we recommend for more companies to start hiring returning citizens:
THE WORK OPPORTUNITY TAX CREDIT:
Our reentry services require professional collaborations and community resources. This partnership will be beneficial to your business as well! The Work Opportunity Tax Credit is a Federal tax credit available to employers for hiring individuals from certain targeted groups who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment. When you provide employment opportunities to participants at Paroled2Pride, your company will be a vessel in helping us achieve our mission: To reduce recidivism one person at a time.
PREVIOUSLY INCARCERATED DOESN'T MEAN "UNSKILLED"
Many people live productive lives and work full-time jobs before incarceration. They may spend weeks, months, or years studying and training to obtain a specific job title. Depending on the length of their sentence and the resources provided in their prison facility, a person may be released from prison with full knowledge of the career skills they had before the offense. Previously incarcerated people are still a valuable pool of prospective employees with meaningful skills. A criminal background does not render a person incapable.
EVERYONE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE!
People are often released from prison with no plan in place to establish self-sufficiency after incarceration. With limited resources inside of prison facilities, it is our responsibility as the local community to make sure that all citizens have a fair chance to earn a living. Many returning citizens are parents, grandparents, and caregivers who made mistakes and simply need a place to restart their journey to personal success. Why judge others based on their past, after they've already dealt with the consequences of their actions behind bars? When you employ returning citizens, you help to reduce recidivism and the issues that occur in communities because of it.