Author: Jerry Higgins, Communications Officer
Offenders completing their sentences face a host of unknowns and stressors as they face a world outside of a state prison. While they receive a packet of information about housing, health care and post-release supervision, what they don’t receive is guaranteed employment or registration into a system such as NCWorks that assists them in their job search.
That may change, however, thanks to a partnership between the N.C. Department of Adult Correction’s Division of Rehabilitation and Reentry, Correction Enterprises and the Division of Workforce Solutions (DWS) within the N.C. Department of Commerce. A pilot program has started at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women (NCCIW) in the Correction Enterprises License Tag Plant where offenders have the opportunity to register for NCWorks, create a resume, explore careers and look for possible future employment opportunities. Once they leave prison, the former offenders’ registration and resume will transfer from this special portal over to the NCWorks online system, so their job search can continue uninterrupted.
“We are trying to find a way to connect offenders to employment upon release,” said NCDAC Deputy Secretary for Rehabilitation and Reentry George Pettigrew. “This will allow offenders on Day 1, when they are released, to already have a secure profile in NCWorks and NCWorks centers across the state.”
Currently, a limited number of female offenders have access to this secure software system that links the users into a system that allows them to build a resume, look for jobs (including opportunities with specified “Second Chance” employers that welcome formerly incarcerated individuals) and even match prospective jobs with the skills offenders have acquired during their incarcerated (and pre-incarceration) time.
“So far, it has gone really well,” said Torrey Leach, the Workforce Development Manager for Correction Enterprises. “We’ve tried to create an easier pathway where once they are released, they can go to an NCWorks office, or NCWorks online, and apply for a job. We want to make sure they have a good experience in this process.”
It was a complicated process to get to this point after more than two years of work with state IT security professionals and purchasing the software from Geographic Solutions. What was easier was the clear focus of Correction Enterprises Director John Coleman, NCDAC and DWS to make this happen. Geographic Solutions also had experience with similar initiatives in California and Virginia facilities, according to DWS Information Technology Director Michael Hoskins.
“John was a strong advocate from the beginning,” said Hoskins, who has visited the Tag Plant to assist offenders along with Tag Plant Manager Jeff Petrie. “We needed to add an additional level of security, and we already had a contract with the vendor. We didn’t want an offender to communicate with the outside, but what impressed John was that external links could be blocked.”
Coleman said, “Our goal is to find a way for offenders to gain employment once they leave our facilities. We figured out how to do this, and we funded it. We want to work it into our plants and have at least one computer at each of our 18 locations.”
NCCIW offender Wendy Dickerson (pictured at the top with Tag Plant Manager Petrie), who works in the Tag Plant and is scheduled to be released in May, has registered and worked on the system. Unlike some offenders who are not comfortable using a computer, Dickerson is very comfortable and quickly learned to create her resume and look for job openings in her home location when released.
“This is a huge resource and it’s going to be pivotal,” Dickerson said after one of her sessions. “It will be ideal for me to get back into the workforce. Any incentive for offenders gives us hope. With hope it helps you to behave and act accordingly. But it also comes with anxiety. What am I going to do? I don’t have an option of running home to someone who will support me. I will leave here with no money except what I’ve been able to save.
“Having the ability to start this job search is imperative. It’s given me a jump start. I’ve also been given an opportunity here at the Tag Plant to get my forklift license. The staff here have given us added skills to go out in the real world.”
Petrie said, “That (job) is the biggest hurdle faced by newly released offenders. It all comes down to money. If you show people a better way, they will take it. Before this, we (Correction Enterprises) would have offenders meet with the reentry team and work on resume writing. That was a bit more abstract, while this is a bit more concrete. We can take the courses they can take on job preparation and put it into a real-world situation.”
As with any pilot program, staff from the various departments do what they can to find glitches and other things that need IT attention. Hoskins has been pleased with not only how the offenders have taken to the program, but also with the partnership. With more than 70 NCWorks Career Centers across the state, there may not be a physical location in every county, but the offenders can search for jobs anywhere. Eventually, when an offender completes their incarcerated time, they can either go to a Career Center or access services virtually by logging in with their registration.
“The workforce professionals at our network of NCWorks Career Centers have a great deal of experience working with people who have been justice-involved,” said Commerce Division of Workforce Solutions Communications Manager Andrew Beal. “We provide special reentry training for our staff, so they can help these jobseekers overcome barriers to employment.”
All of the partners are excited to see the eventual expansion of this pilot program to other state prison facilities. So far, everyone is pleased with the progress, but realize there’s still more work to be done.
“There are still challenges,” NCDAC Deputy Secretary Pettigrew said. “An offender can’t apply to an employer without a staff person reviewing the application. But the offenders can build their resume, do job skill assessments and search to see what’s out there. They will be familiarized with the NCWorks system, and this will also help their digital literacy.”