Create Second-Chance Hiring in Your Community
A steady job is often the key to rebuilding life after incarceration, helping to restore dignity and strengthen families. When all sectors open their doors to returning community members, the task of gaining economic stability is enhanced dramatically.
To Get Started:
Engage local employers early: Meet with business owners, contractors, and hiring managers to understand what positions are available and what skills are needed. Compile a list of employers ready to hire individuals with criminal records and initiate introductions before their release.
Create targeted training and, as necessary, pathways to certifications: Partner with workforce boards, unions, or community colleges to design hands-on courses that lead to industry-recognized credentials. Focus on industries with immediate job openings and potential career paths.
Guide candidates through hiring and placement: Help participants complete applications, prepare for interviews, and connect directly to employers. Provide follow-up support after hiring to encourage retention and career growth.
Best Practices / Innovative Programs:
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MOD Pizza hires and promotes workers with prior convictions, showing that inclusive employment strengthens teams.
Koch Industries Second-Chance Hiring Initiative expands fair-chance hiring and partners with bipartisan coalitions to reduce employment barriers.
Kelly 33 connects employers nationwide with overlooked talent, including people reentering the workforce, and builds inclusive hiring pipelines.
Second Chance Business Coalition is a network of major U.S. companies that share hiring models and best practices to expand fair-chance employment opportunities.
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation Reentry and Workforce Initiative is based in Baltimore and operates nationally. It funds programs linking job readiness with education and family stability.
The Robin Hood Foundation Reentry Portfolio is based in New York City and funds reentry programs that combine job placement with housing and legal support.
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The Last Mile is based in California and active in multiple states. It provides technology training inside prisons and connects graduates to software, IT, and data jobs after release.
Center for Employment Opportunities operates in more than 30 U.S. cities, and offers transitional jobs, daily pay, and career coaching that help people move into long-term employment.
Homeboy Industries is based in Los Angeles and provides education, counseling, and social-enterprise jobs that employ thousands of returning citizens each year.
Inside Out Reentry Community serves Johnson County and nearby areas. It supports returning citizens with housing, employment connections, and peer-led reentry services.
Goodwill Industries Reentry Services has programs in nearly every state and helps returning citizens gain job skills, certifications, and employment placements that lead to stability.
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World Impact Prison Ministry and Reentry Network operates nationwide, and trains churches and community leaders to mentor returning community members and connect them to employment and housing.
JUMPSTART Vision is based in South Carolina and is expanding nationally. JUMPSTART provides mentorship, faith-based support, and workforce preparation that help participants rebuild their lives through work.
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U.S. Department of Labor Reentry Employment Opportunities Program is a federal initiative that funds local projects nationwide to train, coach, and place adults and youth returning from incarceration into jobs with growth potential.
Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Reentry Office partners with community colleges and local employers to help individuals earn job certifications and connect to stable work before release.
Maryland Department of Labor Reentry Services helps returning citizens access apprenticeships and employment centers throughout the state, reducing the gap between release and first job.
