Someone formerly incarcerated who successfully transitions back into society as a productive employee is something Goodwill has seen up close in Augusta.
In 2013, Sean Walker was hired at Edgar’s Grill as a server assistant.
Twenty years earlier, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the murder of his fiancée. Ultimately, Walker was promoted to banquet server at the Snelling Center.
“This gave me the opportunity to meet Goodwill’s President and CEO, Jim Stiff, who continually encouraged me to strive for excellence. So, I did,” he wrote in a story published on the Goodwill website. “I also decided to take advantage of a communications skills class offered at Helms College, taught by instructor extraordinaire, Natoya Black.”
Businesses of all sizes, from local small businesses to major corporations and big box stores are looking to fill countless job openings.
Some businesses have realized there is a labor pool with millions of potential employees going unused.
“If you Google a lot of employers online right now, they’ll say that they’re Second Chance employers,” Leah Pontani, Senior Vice President of Career Development at Goodwill of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, explained for ABD. “What that really means is they have hired somebody with a criminal background in the past.”
Businesses have started taking notice and are joining the Second Chance Business Coalition (SCBC). Its website says it is a coalition of private-sector companies committed to second-chance hiring practices.
“These companies are committed to expanding opportunities to employment and greater upward mobility for people with criminal records.”
The membership includes some of the largest corporations in America. From Bank of America to Best Buy, Macy’s and Walmart.
SCBC said more than 80 million Americans have some type of criminal record. That is nearly 25% of the U.S. population, or one out of every 37 individuals.
In Georgia, an organization was started more than 35 years ago to support previously incarcerated individuals and those impacted by the justice system. The Georgia Justice Project said Georgia is 46% higher than national figures with a 1-18 ratio.
Those numbers have caught the eye of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
Chris Clark, Chamber President and CEO, has told multiple gatherings of business leaders that there are 4.6 million formerly incarcerated people is one of the most underutilized talent pools in the state.
“And you say, ‘I don’t want to hire any of them.’ Well, that’s half the workforce,” he told attendees at the New Georgia Economy Tour that concluded in Augusta.
Charlotte Garnes, founder of the ReNforce, a local nonprofit organization that helps individuals impacted by the justice system, said that highlights the need.
“We’re talking about someone who’s seen it all, who’s heard it all, because I’m sure businesses reach out to him,” she told ABD. “If he can see it from up top, then what are we not seeing or doing here at the level that we’re able to make a difference?”
Goodwill’s Pontani agreed.
“We need all the support we can get from the top down,” she said. “And we need support, not just from those at the top. We need support from those inside of those HR units, at each of those businesses. We need people to openly say that that’s part of their inclusive hiring philosophy.”
Goodwill and ReNforce also saw the need to give the formerly incarcerated who want to re-enter society and the labor pool the tools to do so.
The organizations are partnering on a series of job readiness training workshops.
“They cover things like time management, customer service, conflict resolution, skills, preparing for your interview. A lot of these individuals are disconnected for some time from the workforce. So, there are just a lot of things that we take for granted on the day-to-day that we reinforce in these workshops. Basic skills to give people empowerment, to help them feel a little bit more self-motivated, more believing in themselves, that they can go and approach an employer,” Pontani explained.
Pontani said that is an advantage people looking for a second chance have by attending the workshops. They have access to the job training programs offered at Helms College.
“A lot of pathways,” she said. “Our culinary pathway is an excellent pathway for individuals that have some kind of justice involvement in their background.”
In addition to the partnership with ReNforce, Goodwill recently announced it was selected as one of 27 local nonprofit organizations to join the Catalyst Grant Program. It was launched by the Urban Institute and the Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative to advance equity and reform in the criminal legal system.
It will coordinate with the Checks Over Stripes program launched in partnership with Jared Williams, District Attorney for the Augusta Judicial Circuit.
“When public safety is your goal, you care less about chasing convictions and so much more about changing lives,” the release quoted Williams. “The best way to reduce crime is to break the cycle of repeat offenses. Checks Over Stripes achieves that goal by helping young people stay on job sites and out of jail cells.”
Garnes said without programs like hers, and partnerships with Goodwill, someone formerly incarcerated may be faced with few options.
“In that person’s mind, ‘I got to survive because I don’t want to go back. What does that survival look like if I’m not able to work, if I’m not able to feed myself, take care of my children, if I’m not able to get housing? I am going to survive, and that’s going to pretty much be by any means necessary.’ That’s the truth of it. That’s the transparency of it,” she said.
For more information about how SCBC can help businesses provide second chances, visit www.secondchancebusinesscoalition.org.
The next workshop with ReNforce and Goodwill starts the week of August 19th. The workshops are held at the Goodwill Peach Orchard Job Connection at 3120 Peach Orchard Road. To register, contact Ikethia Daniels, Workforce Management Developer at ReNforce at (307)399-2786 or ikethia@renforce.org.
