Turning a life around can often start by first helping something else to grow. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is working to do just this through a partnership with two correctional facilities in the state. The program seeks to pair willing inmates with a variety of arboriculture...
From Bars to Business: “Benefits Beyond Justice Involved”
Are you a business owner interested in hiring justice involved individuals who are working to turn their lives around? You're not alone, and there are a lot of resources to help you. Many of these resources, including six-months of salary paid by the state, are underused, according to Theresa Kohler, ...
From Bars to Business: Second Chances
After completing a prison sentence, a set time of probation and/or parole, an offender's debt to society is paid. However, as they move on with life, continue to apply for jobs, loans or child custody the criminal record remains. For some fortunate individuals, receiving a pardon from the state governor...
From Bars to Business: “Community”
At the GEO Reentry Group, helping individuals reenter the community is about more than just finding a job. It's a wholistic approach that starts with changing the mindset of the person trying to find a job and get out of the criminal justice system, according to Michael Boughton, program manager...
From Bars to Business: Success Beyond Bars
Clear expectations. Honest communication. And the benefit of the doubt. These are guarantees offered by most employers and when dealing with someone who has a criminal background, they should be no different. For Chad Ling, after spending years rotating in and out of prison, making the decision to turn his...
From Bars to Business: A Fresh Start
Sometimes you just need a fresh start. Spending years within the criminal justice system, losing the support of friends and family and often becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol, can make reentering the community seem impossible. For Cleveland Way, director of the American Rescue Worker's Men's Shelter, creating the 9-month...
From Bars to Business: Pathway to Transformation
Prison life doesn't always mean sitting in a cell all day. For many aspiring individuals, there are education opportunities and even many in-prison jobs. This means that when a person is released on parole, they have had the opportunity to spend months or years learning about a field of work....
From Bars to Business: Path to Redemption
The path to redemption can be taken by anyone. And for many, it can be instrumental in their successful reentry into the community. For Abdul-Malik Walker the 10 years he spent in prison were not wasted. He used the time to study and get certified with a number of HVAC...
From Bars to Business: It’s Not Charity
There aren't many things in this life that we can do on our own. Often, we are only as good as the support systems with which we surround ourselves. A stable job (with coworkers, responsibilities, and a paycheck) is one of those support systems. But getting, and keeping, a job...
From Bars to Business: There, but for the grace of God, go I
Have you ever struggled to get a job? Constantly checked your email for a response to your application? Felt that nervous anticipation before walking in the door to your first interview? We've all been there. But what if you had something else looming over you that would make it even...