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 with Lycoming County’s GEO Group office.
Through GEO’s Reentry Service Center, which first came to Lycoming County in 2014, participants work through a number of phases that include group and individual sessions. In addition, there is resume help, job interview training and other treatment and accountability assistance.
In 2016, the Lycoming County Reentry Coalition was founded. Over the years, the coalition has worked to bring together a community of local programs, business, and government leaders to assist with keeping individuals from reentering the criminal justice system.
After a few years of inactivity, the coalition has been re-established with Boughton and GEO Reentry at it’s head.
“This key is getting people knowledgeable about who reentrants are,” Boughton said. They are people that live next door to you and they are looking to reestablish themselves because they made a mistake, he added.
“Businesses need to take a shot at hiring these people,” he said.
Find the full podcast with Boughton here:
This podcast series is funded through a grant from the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania.
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