By Harry C. Alford & Kay DeBow At the National Black Chamber of Commerce we change lives through our Project Rebound program, designed to place at-risk applicants into meaningful jobs where they can contribute to society. I am pleased to report that we recently visited another place that changes lives for the better, a most […]
Mission
Project Rebound’s mission is to inform the small business community about prison employment programming to increase their willingness to hire and place former offenders into meaningful jobs thereby improving their circumstances and expanding their opportunity for success. We change their lives and make society a better place.The Challenge:
- Over 600,000 people are released from US state and federal prisons every year.
- Potential employers are not aware of educational/training prison programs.
- Community perception negative on returning offenders.
- Misperceptions about some effective programs – including those run for-profit prisons – limit our ability to help ex-offenders transition to life in our communities.
The Concept:
- Educate potential employers on current prison educational/training programming.
- Advocate for programs proven to reduce recidivism – regardless of whether they are managed by the government, nonprofit organizations, or for-profit companies.
- People to people sessions with employers and returning offenders.
- Seek procurement and professional service contracts from prisons with companies who hire returning offenders
- Podcast on Criminal Justice Reform