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Breaking Down Barriers for Justice Impacted Individuals is a Workforce Solution
29 November 2023
爱博体育手机版下载劳动力解决方案系列强调了帮助居民在监禁后重新站稳脚跟的重要性.
法律上的错误或人生道路上的失误不应该意味着个人无法找到救赎, contribute to society and build an economically sustainable foundation. That’s why Minnesota’s Ramsey County Workforce Solutions, with guidance from a community advisory team, seeks to help justice-impacted individuals get back on their feet, 不仅要减轻他们从刑事司法系统释放后面临的障碍，而且还要协助雇主满足他们的招聘需求. In 2023, 司法部发表了一系列文章，讨论受司法影响的个人遇到的障碍以及使他们融入劳动力所需的工作, with highlights listed below.
The ‘Art’ of Fair Opportunities
About one-fourth of incarcerated Minnesota individuals released each year 出狱后仅仅三年内就以重罪再次入狱. Art from the Inside, a nonprofit providing a voice for incarcerated artists, attempts to interrupt that cycle through education and awareness. One incarcerated artist, C.B., stated, “By giving the incarcerated artists a platform, we encourage redemption narratives and a public belief in second chances.”
“艺术过程创造了一种对话，找出他们痛苦的根源，以及如何前进,” said Antonio Espinosa, Art from the Inside founder and former corrections officer. “看到别人欣赏自己的作品可以建立一种基本的价值感.”
Theory of Transformation™ Drives Hope, Engagement
A recent Ramsey County Community Corrections survey 指出缓刑成人最普遍的需求是更好地与社区资源联系. Ujamaa Place的转型理论以五个主要支柱为中心——住房, employment, education, wellness and criminal justice advocacy. Since opening its doors in 2010, 乌贾马广场提供支持服务，帮助男性建立积极的生活，并在社会中发挥贡献作用.
“所有的教练都有同样的目标——改变生活，我们认识到一切都是相通的,” said Ujamaa Place Employment Coach Nigel Sharper. “It's difficult to secure a place to live without a job, 如果一个人有某种依赖，他就很难找到工作，对每个支柱来说都是如此, so we know we all have to work together to make things straight.”
Bridge to Stability
奥尔德里克·伍德拉夫就是一个例子，他展示并培养了必要的坚韧精神，以恢复他在当地社区的地位. Woodruff spent his time in prison at several facilities, including at a Lutheran Social Service halfway house in Minneapolis, which included a 90-day term with the Bridge Program at MINNCOR Industries in Roseville. 桥梁计划提供就业和工作技能培训，帮助参与者成功地重新融入社会.
“I took something from the community with my mistake,” said Woodruff. “我认为正确的做法是通过阻止其他人犯类似的错误并将他们转移到不同的地方来回馈社区.“伍德拉夫在监禁期间发展了这些技能，并找到了自己作为他人导师的位置，并在今天的社区中继续这项工作.
Win-Win Solution for Justice-Impacted Individuals and Employers
第二次招聘在我们社区的安全和发展中起着重要作用. 研究表明，获得有意义的就业机会对于减少重复犯罪行为至关重要, as cited in studies by Johns Hopkins Hospital, a Kelly Services and Toyota partnership and with U.S. military enlistees.
寻求缓解劳动力问题的雇主可以通过有意地在潜在员工池中增加受公正影响的个人来进行公平的商业投资. 这些人渴望得到第二次机会来证明他们不是一个错误的选择，并准备好贡献并继续他们的生活. Ramsey County Workforce Solutions implores business owners and leaders to reach out today to see how they can be intentional in hiring justice-impacted individuals.
Stopping the Cycle of Recidivism
In the movie, “Shawshank Redemption,” Morgan Freeman plays a character named Ellis Boyd Redding, 一个职业罪犯，他在监狱里的生活比他的自由更舒适和令人满意. Unfortunately, this cycle frequently happens in real life, 以前被监禁的人经常再次从事犯罪行为，因为他们找不到帮助他们重新站起来的机会.
受到司法影响的个人在获得就业和适应监狱外生活方面面临许多障碍. In partnership with the Work Release Program, MINNCOR开展了“墙外”桥梁计划，帮助工作释放参与者成功地过渡到社会. 这个为期三个月的项目为个人提供工作介绍和工作技能培训，以弥合从监狱到监狱外就业的差距.
All About Relationships
发展人际关系是受司法影响的个人确保就业的关键第一步. Probation and parole officers are consistently present in communities, 寻求与房东和企业主建立长期关系，同时建立一种理解，即他们将出现在受司法影响的个人面前. These relationships require trust, specifically that the community’s safety will come first and foremost.
“If we truly want to change the crime picture and reduce the number of victims, we cannot keep closing doors to the formerly incarcerated population,” said Mark Elliott, Probation Officer Supervisor in Ramsey County Community Corrections.
Coffee Shop Offers Common Ground to Reduce Homelessness
Wildflyer Coffee is a nonprofit coffee shop in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Its Work & “生活技能培训计划”是一个为期四个月的就业培训计划，旨在培养16-24岁青年找到和维持稳定就业所需的个人技能和专业技能，并使他们永远摆脱无家可归. About 20 percent of the youth Wildflyer works with are justice-impacted, but the homelessness issue goes well beyond that.
“我们相信，我们可以教育社区，让他们了解我们地区的青少年无家可归是什么样子，同时与年轻人一起发展他们的独立性，为更稳定的未来而努力。,” said Wildflyer Coffee Program Manager Kenzie Diessner.
Contact us today to learn more about Fair Opportunities, 爱博体育手机版下载和爱博体育手机版下载劳动力创新委员会在信息方面的合作, 资源和活动，以帮助雇主更好地了解雇用受刑事司法系统影响的个人的价值.
