Each year, Washington state releases over 8,200 individuals from incarceration. Where do people go after being released from Department of Correction facility?
Some will experience homelessness. A large number (>50%) will be re-admitted with a felony within 5 years. Some, however, will go on to build successful career, with some help in the form of scholarship assistance and wrap-around service.
There are thousands of success stories out there, that's why we put together the Second Chance Hiring website. Learn more how you can help formerly incarcerated individuals build successful careers.
Join us as we launch a new website that showcases stories of those who have built successful careers after obtaining higher education post-incarceration. Meet and hear firsthand from speakers and two great organizations in this space, over wine, coffee, and tea.
You can also join them, and like-minded Amazonians in exploring how we can contribute to this issue in a meaningful way.
See you there! Bigfoot 01.101-01.102
Light refreshments provided, thanks to Community Engagement
Many of the stories showcased in the Second Chance Hiring website are of Post-Prison Education Program scholarship recipients. PPEP, founded by Ari Kohn in 2005, provides scholarship assistance and wraparound service to mostly those classified as high-risk by the corrections systems.
Under his leadership, the program has been recognized by the Gates Foundation, developed a long-term partnership with Google, and has a fantastic 7.8% recidivism rate, nearly a quarter of the state's rate.
There are various skills-based volunteer opportunities available with PPEP, including: social media coordinator, newsletter writer (monthly), and website development team.
Unloop's mission is to enable people who have been in prison to succeed in careers in tech. Unloop was co-founded by Lindsey Wilson and David Alameda. Lindsey has worked in tech her entire career, most recently shifting to manage the design and build of large-scale software projects for public energy efficiency efforts. David works in strategy and finance roles at Microsoft by day while contributing to international and domestic social ventures by night.
Through partnerships with community colleges, Unloop offer a one-year intensive web development training program designed to prepare incarcerated students for employment in the tech industry upon release. Post-release, they offer re-entry services to make sure needs, such as housing and transportation, are not barriers to our graduates' professional success and connect them with mentors and networks in the industry.
Ryan is the General Manager of Magnum Print Solutions, a Seattle based manufacturer and wholesaler of toner cartridges, related equipment and supplies. Magnum lives by a culture of inclusion and compassion. They work with organizations like Orion, which places employees with barriers to employment, such as past criminal behavior.