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RESTART GRANT POW WOW
2nd Chance Indiana Meets With RESTART Players
2nd Chance Indiana's team met with representatives of LITE Recovery and Keys2Work to hammer out details and program roles in the RESTART program that will help 180 young reentrants get employment and the support for a better future.
This effort will reduce recidivism as 2nd Chance Indiana job coordinators connect them with employment and help with transportation that will allow them to get to and from work. Meanwhile, LITE will provide counseling through their Peer Recovery coaches to help each person along the way. Gina Davis of Keys2Work helped plan coordination with RecycleForce, which is the major RESTART* grant awardee.
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These young people are all from six of our northeastern counties, where poverty is high and the crime rate is as much as twice the Indiana average rate. With connections to good jobs, apprenticeships, and educational opportunities, they will be able to build a future and a financial foundation for a life without the shadow of incarceration.
Pictured: Top: (LtoR) 2nd Chance Indiana's Kendra Walker, Data Specialist; Tammy Cotton, Executive Director of LITE; 2CIN's Molly Oliver, Director of Employment Services; Stephany Ross, Transportation Coordinator; Jim Cotterill, President; Gina Davis, Senior Director at Keys2Work.
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VISITS TO THE 2CIN.ORG SITE:
2nd Chance Indiana
Up 300% In One Month
Reentrants know that when they have a need, they can get to the right place and the right people using 2cin.org. 2nd Chance Indiana has provided a one-of-a-kind resource for Hoosier reentrants in cities and towns across the state. Whether they need a job, or a place to stay, help with food, clothing, or assistance with substance use issues, or a legal problem, it's there.
And, with more than 2500 employers throughout the state who will hire people with a criminal record, the job board is pretty busy. Since one out of three men in the U.S. has a criminal record, it's important that we serve them. The numbers are growing exponentially, with more than 66,000 visits to the website each month, and a recent uptick of 300% in specific requests for help.
The word is out and it is not only good for reentrants and their families, it is good for the state of Indiana.
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CONGRATS!
Our 240th Job Training
Student Starts Classes
Job training continues for Second Chance Indiana with Cohorts 23 and 24 at the Marion County Adult Detention Center. The participants have started their five-week, 10-hour Career Path Workshop, which now makes 240 men and women who have begun training as they prepare for meaningful employment.
The program equips them with skills, confidence, and the practical training which reduces the risk of reoffending, as they foster financial independence and a stable foundation for the future. Our thanks always to 2nd Chance Indiana's Doug Evans, who has taught in Indiana prisons and jails for more than 40 years!
Pictured: Doug Evans, 2CIN's Director of Training; Likenesses of students have been altered to protect their privacy.
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HELP IS ON THE WAY:
Two New Job Counselors
Will Assist Reentrants
A great job can be the beginning of a great life and 2nd Chance Indiana will soon be connecting a group of reentrants to great jobs with the help of two new members of the 2CIN team. Casey Dials and Lisa Parnell will handle job counseling for nearly 400 clients who will need a hand up after incarceration. Dials and Parnell will be connecting them to certifications, job training, and employment in fast-growing sectors of the market, including advanced manufacturing, transportation, and information technology. Welcome Lisa and Casey!
Pictured (LtoR): 2nd Chance Indiana's Director of Employment, Molly Oliver; Job Counselor for Northern Indiana, Casey Dials; Job Counselor for Central Indiana, Lisa Parnell; and Kendra Walker, Data Analyst.
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TEACHING THE LOVE OF GOD:
Bible Seminary
Coming Soon To Pendleton?
It's no secret that prison life is difficult. The culture is defined by fear, isolation, hopelessness, violence, and mistrust. Enter Jon Wiest, of Fishers, IN., and founder of Groundswell Prison Network, a ministry that brings Christian teaching to correctional facilities. He is currently working through the last layers of red tape to develop a Wesley Seminary at the Pendleton Correctional Facility where those who go through these classes will be mobilized to serve the people around them, becoming catalysts for positive change within the prison community. Groundswell is growing, and we are praying for their success and the success of the people who will so greatly benefit from this effort. Check out Groundswell Prison Network HERE!
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$20,000 PER YR. PER PERSON & RISING
Paying the Price for
Long-Term Incarceration
In just the past two years, Indiana’s prison population has increased 10%, while taxpayers are paying the constantly increasing price. Right now, Indiana pays more than $1 billion for incarceration/judicial processes.
Why the steep increase? Since the '70s, tough-on-crime advocates moved away from giving judges and parole boards more discretion to shorten or tailor sentences. But voters were worried about increasing crime, and lawmakers started adopting mandatory sentencing minimums, habitual-offender enhancements, etc. So, people sentenced to prison had to serve years or decades longer terms. Prison populations swelled. New people came into prisons, but fewer were leaving due to longer sentences.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics found that about 53% of incarcerated people are parents of children under 18, and some studies indicate that we are raising new generations of prisoners when kids are raised in families that must normalize a parent’s long-term incarceration. These policies are not only costly, they are societally stupid. Check out Nancy's Blog Post HERE!
Pictured: Cindy White has been incarcerated for 50 years, for a crime she committed at just 18 years old.
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Support For Reentrants After Incarcertion:
Since 2017 UNITE INDY, now 2nd Chance Indiana, has provided a free web-based system, 2ndChanceIN.com, that connects those released from incarceration with jobs offered by our ever-growing list of employer partners, willing to hire people with a criminal record and pay them a living wage.
The site also offers a huge network of support organizations that can help with housing, drug abatement, licensing, clothing and so much more, Here!
A good job found quickly after release from incarceration can drive down recidivism about 90%, according to studies. Unemployment is connected to poverty, a criminal record, and re-incarceration. Our poorest neighborhoods contain many who have not been able to get good jobs because they have a criminal record, but 2nd Chance Indiana not only connects them with jobs, it also provides van transportation to many sites to help those who do not have affordable or reliable transportation. In some neighborhoods of Marion County unemployment is extremely high and poverty remains the overwhelming cause of violence—as well as lack of opportunity for children.
You can help us to help a reentrant today, Here! To know more, go to 2ndChanceIN.com now. There are a number of choices that are all secure and safe. By sending your tax deductible gift* now we can have a greater impact meeting needs in our community.
Many, many thanks!
*Unite Indy, Inc. dba 2nd Chance Indiana is approved under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3) as a Public Charity, donors can deduct contributions they make under IRC Section 170.
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Corporate Partners
A big Thank YOU to our Corporate Partners for their unwavering support which makes it possible for us to provide our services at no charge to job applicants and employers!
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