Standing Room Only at Job Fair for Felons

It's time we started retraining those who are incarcerated and stop making it a financial bonanza for private contractors to house prisoners.






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Let's Break the Chains

Time for Release?  Now What? A Job?  Low Pay.  No Benefits.  Forget It. Create Your Own Online Job and Break the Chains There is a good reason that the prison population is increasing dramatically. You are cash money to the man.  They make a lot more with you behind bars than they ever will with you outside their control. So, when you do manage to get released, you are offered low paying jobs with little advancement, no benefits, and every opportunity to feel so low that in a moment of insanity you actually think you are better off inside.  Check this out:

Despite the efforts of such groups as The Society for Return to Honor, a nonprofit organization in Sedona, Arizona, that aims toward facilitating the re-integration of qualified, pre-selected former convicted felons into their communities -- it is a tough road.  The economy is flat and what jobs there are available are usually at or near minimum wage without benefits.  Nobody can live or raise a family on such "opportunities". With over 1,600,000 men, women and adolescents in jails, prisons and detention centers in the United States, and an astonishing 70-80% of all inmates released from incarceration returning to jail or prison within the first year after their release, it is clear that communities and individuals are not taking the extra meaningful steps toward understanding the true nature of criminal behavior, and addressing its causes rather than reacting to its effects.  Most determined and highly-motivated former offenders fight a nearly impossible battle for acceptance and respectability in returning to their communities.  The simplest things most people take for granted are often formidable obstacles for the newly-released prisoner; a place to sleep, food to eat, clothes to wear, a job, transportation, and even deposits required for a place to live.  Often lacking the self-confidence, required social skills and personal resources, released prisoners face nearly impossible odds in their attempts at re-entry into society.  WE CAN HELP.  We have the compassion and willingness to understand the problems facing offenders of all ages.  WE CAN HELP Let's Break the Chains

THE NEW GUY IN PRISON - Video

When Don Kirchner was first imprisoned -- he stuck out like a sore thumb. He didn't look like the other prisoners, he didn't talk like them, he didn't have the tattoos or the swagger -- he was clearly a fish out of water. While we wait for Don's movie to be produced, this video will have to keep his fans satisfied. It describes the similar experience of a new prisoner, unfamiliar with the workings or politics of his environment, and trying to impress the guards on his first day of incarceration. Fortunately, Don was a little more hip.



Posted By: The Candid Blogger
visit our Job Search Blog at: The-Job-Specialist Blog

The Importance of Validation

After reading Don's post on "You Matter", it is only natural that I follow up with this landmark short film called "Validation". An amazing and inspiring short film about the importance of acknowledging and validating people, this film is much needed pick-me-up that will inspire you during the holiday season and afterward.

This 16 minute short film shows the magic of looking for the best in people. Validation, has played at 34 film festivals worldwide and won 17 awards. A list of the awards that this inspiring short film has won:

1. Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival
2. Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival
3. Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival
4. Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film
5. Winner - Crystal Heart Award
6. Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival
7. Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award
8. Williamstown Film Festival, Winner - Best Comedy
9. Dam Short Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Film
10. Sedona Int'l Film Festival

Posted by: The Candid Blogger

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit

Employment

Work Opportunity Tax Credit. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), authorized by the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (P. L. 104-188), is a federal tax credit that encourages employers to hire eight targeted groups of job seekers by reducing employers’ federal income tax liability by as much as $2,400 per qualified new worker; $750, if working 120 hours, or $1,200 if working 400 hours or more, per qualified summer youth. Employers can learn which new hires may qualify, find brochures, download IRS and ETA forms necessary to participate and find instructions at the U.S. Department of Labor or call 1.800.669.9271.

National H.I.R.E. Network. Established by the Legal Action Center, the National Helping Individuals with Criminal Records Re-enter through Employment Network is both a national clearinghouse for information and an advocate for policy change. The goal of the National H.I.R.E. Network is to increase the number and quality of job opportunities available to people with criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and public opinion. The National H.I.R.E. Network also provides training and technical assistance to agencies working to improve the employment prospects for people with criminal records.

Transitional Jobs. Meaningful work sets the stage for financial independence and career growth. Many individuals with barriers to work remain unemployed despite attempts to work because they have been unable to find and keep a job on their own. The National Transitional Jobs Network programs assist these individuals in gaining permanent jobs. By working in a subsidized, transitional job for three to twelve months, they earn a paycheck, learn technical skills for higher wage jobs, become eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and receive intensive mentoring and support. This transitional job is the first step toward permanent employment and economic opportunity.

Posted by: The Candid Blogger

Job Search Assistance

Gary Mialocq, Ph.D., Connector

As a retired vocational rehab counselor and long-time friend and associate of Don Kirchner, I am here to help those who are seeking a job or a career, or who just need to make extra money. My skill is being able to match things. If I introduce two people, they get married. I spent 25 years helping people find jobs, repair broken marriages, overcome physical and emotional pain , so this will be fun. My website, the Job Specialist, is devoted to getting you on the inside track. It is loaded with tools to help you simplify and streamline your job search.

I'll repeat what I said in an earlier post. I often tell people I've counseled to consider trading incarceration for "freedom", like a death. The old You #1758965 is dead. The past is history.

Your challenge is to focus on what lies ahead, your future. No excuse for the past -- it is done. Forget it, but LEARN from your mistakes. Be PATIENT and stay calm. You are very lucky. Because the death you are experiencing is in no way like a real death experience. For instance, rock star Eric Clapton lost his beloved 4 year-old son, Conor, in a fall from a building in New York. For almost a year, he couldn't sing, perform, or function. He was devastated. Then, he overcame it by facing it head-on, and writing a song for his son, "Tears in Heaven".





You can do it too . . . and we're here to help. If you do need help, feel free to contact me. As we grow we'll establish a solid support network. Good luck.

Posted by: The Candid Blogger

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Obama Supports Prisoner Re-entry Summit

Barack Obama Issues Statement Supporting Prisoner Reentry Summit

September 22, 2008.

San Francisco, CA – In a welcome statement for the Third Annual Prisoner Reentry Summit, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) commended San Francisco city leaders for their “innovative work to reduce recidivism” and pledged to create opportunities for former prisoners if elected president.

In his letter, Senator Obama recognized that American urban communities are facing an “incarceration and post-incarceration crisis.” Senator Obama vowed to “create a prison-to-work incentive program, modeled on the successful Welfare-to-Work Partnership, to create ties between employers and third-party agencies that provide training and support services to ex-offenders and to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.” Senator Obama also pledged that he would “work to reform correctional systems that prevent former inmates from finding and maintaining employment.”

The Third Annual Summit is being organized by the Safe Communities Reentry Council (SCRC). The SCRC was established in 2005 to promote the safe and successful return of formerly incarcerated San Franciscans by developing a comprehensive support system that reduces violence and recidivism, and promotes public safety.

According to SCRC spokesperson and Public Defender Jeff Adachi, “We are very pleased that Senator Obama has issued a statement in support of re-envisioning federal reentry policies. With one out of every 100 Americans in jail or prison, we need to provide greater support to former prisoners who want to turn their lives around.”

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2008/2009 Resource Guide
(click guide to download)

Philly Re-entry Program Faces Budget Cuts

Plan to find ex-offenders jobs is tripping on hurdles

By DAVE DAVIES
Philadelphia Daily News

daviesd@phillynews.com 215-854-2595

When he was campaigning for office, Mayor Nutter spoke with passion about the importance of giving a second chance to inmates who want to find a place in society again. He pledged to create opportunities for ex-offenders.

"If we want to drive the crime rate down in this city, we have to put these people back to work," he said at a September 2007 forum.

John Phillips, a former Graterford inmate who has turned his life around, liked what he heard. He's less happy now.

As of Dec. 31, Phillips will be out of a job, thanks to budget cuts Nutter announced last month. The program that Phillips works on, the Adolescent Violence Reduction Partnership, is being shut down after officials concluded that it was not as effective as they'd hoped.

"I felt I was making a difference," said Phillips, who was freed in February 2007, after serving time for aggravated assault. "This will make my life a lot worse. I'm on parole until 2019. I'm a father of four."

Phillips' plight is primarily the result of the economic crisis that has badly damaged the city's finances.

But nearly a year into Nutter's first term, the city's efforts to help former inmates have sputtered, and not all the problems can be blamed on budget pressures.

The city failed to take basic steps to implement a law encouraging the employment of ex-offenders. And the man hired to run the city agency helping former inmates was demoted after overspending his budget and canceling a contract with a nonprofit agency helping ex-cons find jobs.

Ray Jones, director of Impact Services Corp., said that his agency still doesn't know if its city contract will be renewed, and he wonders what's going on in the Mayor's Office for the Reentry of Ex-Offenders, or MORE.

"To date, there's been nothing but lip service in providing services for re-entry," Jones said.

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Return to Honor Jobs Program

ANNOUNCEMENT

Nearly 650,000 people are released from state and federal prison yearly and arrive on the doorsteps of communities nationwide. A far greater number reenter communities from local jails, and for many offenders and /defendants, this may occur multiple times in a year. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) over 50 percent of those released from incarceration will be in some form of legal trouble within 3 years. In his 2004 State of the Union, President Bush proposed “a four-year, $300 million prisoner re-entry initiative to expand job training and placement services, to provide transitional housing, and to help newly released prisoners get mentoring, including from faith-based groups.” source: US Department of Justice.

Don Kirchner, founder of the Society for Return to Honor, is proud to announce that his organization, in association with retired Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Gary Mialocq, PhD, is offering a jobs re-entry opportunity online. Those re-entering society can participate alone and follow the step-by-step program outlined on the Job Specialist website, or may receive mentoring and counseling at greatly discounted rates in an effort to assist in returning to the job market during these very difficult times.

Don Kirchner Addresses Inmates in Tennessee

Don Kirchner speaking to a group of inmates in a Nashville, TN corrections facility in 2007.

The Cost of Freedom

OUR STORY AND MISSION

Return To Honor is an organization dedicated to informing and assisting communities, government agencies and businesses in creating "bridges" of understanding and opportunity for qualified former offenders upon their release from incarceration and for those who are leaving the military and facing the uncertainty of a return to the job market. As such, we work to bring about better understanding on the part of former offenders and military personnel of certain behaviors and attitudes that will result in their successful transition back into society as responsible, honorable members of it.

This website is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of men and women who are facing one of the scariest moments in their lives -- one of those forks in the road that can determine the course of the rest of your life. You have to find a job coming from difficult circumstances. You can use all the help you can get, but how to find it?

First, I want everyone to know that we have all the tools you will need to put you on an even playing field with your competition. With the economy losing millions of jobs under the incompetence of our almost former President, you've got an uphill battle ahead, but you do have an organization on your side. We will be providing resources you can use online, NOW. This website is not only to help you in adjusting to the cold cruel world, but to give you a place to express yourselves as this blog grows.

In the song, "Wish You Were Here", by Pink Floyd (and how many haven't uttered those words in their minds over and over again?), Roger Waters really gets to the heart of the "caged" experience and his music conveys the kind of feeling I'd like visitors to this site to have as you become comfortable with TCF (The Cost of Freedom). He talks about experiencing the "same old fears, year after year". Pink Floyd:


I often tell people I've counseled to consider leaving incarceration for "freedom" similar to a death. The old you is dead. The past is history. Your challenge is to focus on what lies ahead, your future. You are very lucky. Because the death you are experiencing is in no way like a real death experience. For instance, rock star Eric Clapton lost his beloved 4 year-old son, Conor, in a fall from a building in New York. For almost a year, he couldn't sing, perform, or function. Then, he overcame it by facing it head-on, and writing a song for his son, "Tears in Heaven". Enjoy the song and make sure to bookmark this site.

Posted by: The Candid Blogger