I Recently Visited A Women's Prison. Here's How To Embrace This Talent Pool
Last month, I stepped outside of my typical orbit of the office, conference circuit, and board meetings. Instead, I traveled two hours outside of Denver to visit a few dozen women serving sentences in La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo, Colorado. These women were taking part in 'The Challenge,' a program offered through the Breakthrough Alliance of Colorado, which offers career readiness coaching, professional development, and re-entry planning so they can prepare for and find jobs after incarceration.
Their stories inspired me. Ashley, a recent participant, shared how her three children were able to visit her for the program's graduation ceremony and see her in a cap and gown for the first time. A few of the women in the early stages of the program helped me understand how much resilience it takes just to begin this journey; another woman, whose release is approaching in a few months, shared her hopes and honest fears about how she'll find a job and reestablish herself in her community.
Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy, has often said that the first step in making change is to 'get proximate'—to build genuine connections with people facing obstacles or barriers, and 'affirm their dignity and humanity.' My visit with the women of the Breakthrough Alliance reminded me how valuable and important this kind of proximity is. This April, which is Fair Chance Month, I hope other leaders will be inspired to take this first step toward engaging with the people experiencing incarceration in their communities. I came away from my visit reminded that when we put up barriers that prevent people with records from finding employment, we leave out a talent pool that is at least 70 million Americans strong.
At my organization, Jobs for the Future, we know this first-hand: since 2023, we've committed to hiring employees who have records or are currently incarcerated and have benefited greatly from their skills, experience, and dedication.
Many of the arguments for fair chance hiring focus on reduced recidivism. But in my opinion, there's a reason that's even more compelling. The women participating in The Challenge have committed to developing the specific and durable skills that companies need to remain competitive. Committing to fair chance hiring isn't just about doing something good—it's about doing something that's good for business.
If you're a leader interested in taking the first step toward fair chance hiring, here are a few ways to get started.
Many of us in the corporate world, especially those of us in the C-Suite, get exposure to prison settings through television and movies, which can perpetuate stereotypes and sidestep the actual experiences of people who are incarcerated. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who recently made a push for fair chance hiring in his State of the State address, shared how his understanding of people with records was shaped by years working in his family's seed business alongside Leonard 'Shorty' Steele, who had been incarcerated in Kentucky years earlier. Former Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield discovered this first-hand when, inspired by Stevenson's book, he visited a training program located in California's San Quentin State Prison and returned with more Slack employees. Since then, Slack has become a corporate leader in fair chance hiring through its Next Chapter partnership, which creates technology training and employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated workers.
The good news: employers who want to take this step don't have to do it alone. Organizations like the Second Chance Business Coalition, whose members are major U.S. employers, offers resources to support companies looking to reduce hiring barriers. They have a comprehensive list of partners around the country who can help employers connect with people in their regions. If distance puts an in-person connection out of reach for your company, my organization's Fair Chance Corporate Cohort offers specialized in-person and virtual trainings for companies interested in fair chance hiring.
As skills-based hiring strategies gain momentum, there are millions of people with records developing in-demand skills through training programs around the country. The skills-first movement often focuses on reducing or eliminating degree requirements for open jobs; Fair Chance Month is an ideal opportunity to also update the policies and practices that screen people with records out of the hiring process. With this approach, employers can significantly open up their talent pool and focus more on what applicants can bring to the job, instead of what credentials they've earned or what experiences have prevented their advancement.
A wide range of education and training opportunities exist within the nation's prisons: Organizations like Unlocked Labs, The Last Mile, and Persevere teach incarcerated learners digital skills, including coding and web development. Hope for Prisoners operates a 120,000-square-foot vocational complex inside the Nevada Department of Corrections that provides certifications in welding, truck driving, HVAC, plumbing, masonry, electrical, and warehouse logistics.
Opportunities like The Challenge in Colorado also emphasize the uniquely human skills that are increasingly needed in the age of automation. Sonya, a program graduate who is now released from prison, described learning how to work as a team, build and pitch a business plan, and prepare to talk about her training and work experience. 'I really enjoyed learning more about the different cognitive thought processes and how to better communicate with people,' she said. 'No other program during my tenure at LVCF offered the skills training and support that Breakthrough offers.'
Establishing fair chance hiring practices doesn't happen overnight—it involves relationship-building, outreach, and a lot of self-reflection about company values. At Jobs for the Future, I still remember all the questions and considerations that went into making our first incarcerated hire: were our systems set up to support them? Were there restrictions from the prison that would affect their ability to do the job?
But if the women I met in The Challenge program can take that big first step on their journey to rebuild their lives, we leaders can take the first step toward building our businesses by being a part of that journey. This Fair Chance Month, I encourage leaders to reach out, 'get proximate,' and explore the benefits of fair chance hiring for your company.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
26 minutes ago
- The Hill
How much does it really cost to own a car in the US?
Driving is probably the most consistent way Americans get from point A to point B across the country. And while it's well known that buying a car is a significant investment, most of us don't typically factor in the day-to-day or annual costs associated with keeping our cars running and operational. Not to mention the cost of insurance for your vehicle, and for those who live in larger cities, the cost to park your car each and every day. Adding this all together, the average American pays roughly $12,828 a year to own a car, roughly $1,069 per month, says a new study from Way. The initial number probably seems eye-popping for sure, but when you break down the various payments on your vehicle, it slowly starts to add up. The first and largest is the depreciation of your car. While this isn't physically money that you're spending, it's money that you're losing every time you use your car. As with age and usage, the price of your car will continue to drop until the day you finally sell it or trade it in. On average, the value of your car drops about $4,600 a year, according to Way. Next is gas and insurance, which can vary depending on your location, but typically Americans spend about $2,200 on gas every year and $1,700 on car insurance. After that, there's the maintenance of your car that you end up doing every year. These include oil changes, tire rotations, brake pad replacements, new air filters, new windshield wipers and anything else that potentially goes wrong with your car in a given year. The prices on this can obviously vary drastically depending on what is going on with your car, but on average, a typical U.S. citizen will spend roughly $1,500 on car maintenance every year. Going a little more unnoticed is the various financing charges and taxes and fees that you end up paying each year on your car and probably don't even realize it. Combined, the two can add up to about $1,600 a year. Finally, there are parking costs, which probably only apply to people who live in larger cities. But on average, the typical American spends around $1,000 on parking. This can vary drastically obviously for someone who lives in the suburbs versus someone who lives in a major city in California or New York. Separately, all these payments may not seem too crazy, but when combined, it's a bit more than the normal person may expect to pay on a car year after year.
Politico
an hour ago
- Politico
Elon Musk is threatening to put third-party candidates on the ballot. Democrats are giddy.
'My first reaction was, it seems pretty confined in substance,' Mayo said. 'And because of that, I think it pulls some of the following that he has that has sort of found its way into the Republican Party base.' Musk did not respond to a request for comment sent via email. Voters regularly overstate how likely they are to vote or join a third party. But recent polling suggests Americans are at least theoretically open to it. While nearly half of voters say they would consider joining a third party, only 17 percent are interested in joining a Musk-led option, according to polling from Quinnipiac University from earlier this month. But that party could pull disproportionately from the GOP, per the survey, which found that nearly three times as many Republicans as Democrats would consider joining Musk's proposed third party. Barrett Marson, a Republican political strategist in Arizona, cautioned that a libertarian-minded candidate backed by Musk could attract support from either direction, putting Democrats in battleground districts at risk too. 'If anyone can be a spoiler or at least put up a candidate who has a chance to in either direction, it's Elon Musk, because he has the drive and financial wherewithal to match it,' Marson said. Still, Musk's ability to successfully field third-party bids will be highly dependent on the particular districts he targets and the candidates he puts on the ballot, said Charlie Gerow, a Pennsylvania-based GOP operative. 'Elon Musk's money is enough to sway a significant number of elections,' Gerow said. 'But you have to look at the individual candidates and the message they run on. There's a lot of factors that will play into whether or not he's successful. I think at this stage it's hard to predict the outcome when we don't really know what he's going to do.' Even if Musk fails to get candidates on the ballot, his bad blood with Trump will be sorely felt by Republicans, who benefited massively from his largesse in 2024. Ultimately, Democrats are still confident the effort would more than likely play out to their benefit should it come to fruition, said Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey, who is gearing up for one of the most competitive Senate races next year. 'I think if something has Elon Musk's branding on it, that you're not going to attract Democrats, and you're not going to attract many independents,' Bailey said. 'I think if it's got Elon Musk branding, you're likely to attract the vast majority of right-wing Republicans, so I don't think those voters are probably that gettable for us anyway.'
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Paramount, Skydance expected to close deal on Aug. 7
Paramount and Skydance announced Friday that, with the Trump administration's approval, the highly anticipated merger between the entertainment giants is expected to take place next month. The Aug. 7 date, unveiled in a press release, comes after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday allowed Skydance's acquisition of Paramount to move forward after the merger was first proposed last year. FCC Chair Brendan Carr in announcing the decision said he welcomed Skydance's commitment to remaining 'unbiased' in its journalism and willingness to promote 'a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum.' 'Americans no longer trust the legacy national news media to report fully, accurately, and fairly,' Carr added. 'It is time for a change.' The move caps off months of turmoil between Paramount Global, the parent company of CBS, and President Trump. Trump sued CBS's '60 Minutes' last year after he argued an interview it aired with former Vice President Harris was altered in her favor during the 2024 presidential election cycle. While the company fought the claims, including releasing a full transcript from the episode, it ultimately settled with the administration for $16 million. Those funds are set to go to Trump's eventual presidential library. The news outlet has also faced criticism in recent days after CBS made the decision to sunset 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' next May, after more than 30 years on air. Paramount said the move was based on finances, but critics have argued the settlement and Skydance deal were likely involved — and bribery allegations have been floated. Comedian Stephen Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, has been openly critical of the merger. Colbert blasted the network earlier this week for choosing to axe the show and thanked those who have reached out in support, including Democrats, press freedom advocates and many of his late-night counterparts. He added that 'one key mistake' the network made when moving forward with the plan is that 'they left me alive.' Colbert also lashed out at Trump after the president said in a post online that he 'absolutely' loved that the comedian was getting 'fired.' 'How dare you, sir,' the host responded. 'Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism: 'Go f‑‑‑ yourself.'' Under the terms of the $8 billion merger, the company will become 'New Paramount' and will be led by Trump-ally and billionaire David Ellison, the son of tech tycoon and Oracle founder Larry Ellison.
