CAL state LOS angeles (CAL state LA) proposes prison to careers equity pathway, a scalable pilot second chance community-based adult reentry program

This $900,000 award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative program (CFDA 16.812) supports the "Prison to Careers Equity Pathway" pilot program at Cal State LA University Auxiliary Services Inc. (UAS). The project aims to expand the university's successful prison degree program by connecting formerly incarcerated college graduates with regional employers and community organizations to facilitate their transition into stable, meaningful careers. Key components include professional development, well-being support, career planning, skills training, paid/unpaid internships, and post-release mentoring. The program will serve students from the university's existing prison degree initiative in the Northeast Los Angeles area. Ongoing evaluation will assess employment, wage, and recidivism outcomes to inform data-driven program improvements.

The pilot will expand positive impacts of the universitys successful prison BA graduation initiative (with zero recidivism), delivered at california state prison, LOS angeles county (LAC) since 2016. The pilot will link formerly incarcerated college graduates with regional employers and community organizations working toward achieving an equitable workforce. The cost to students is zero. This category 2 improving employment services and connections pilot extends the existing degree programs benefits by creating a much-needed nexus of three proven antirecidivism protections: (2) university degree attainment, (2) transition support services, and (3) stable employment. Research indicates that unemployment poses the greatest risk of recidivism; while higher degree attainment is associated with lower recidivism rates. However, justice involved individuals find their reentry job searches are complicated by multiple dimensions of labor market discrimination. This pilot will improve employment rates for program participants by connecting them with employers and community partners committed to giving formerly incarcerated persons an equitable shot at success in the communities they call home. This model is organized around five target areas shown by harvard and others to have a positive effect on post-release success: (1) professional and self-development; (2) wellbeing; (3) career planning; (4) career training and work experience; and (5) follow-on support services. The program is anchored in a partnership of employers, community organizations, LAC, and CAL state LA. This network will identify employer needs, link applicants to employers, provide professional and personal development during incarceration, individualized career planning, skills training, paid and unpaid internships, and follow-on mentoring in support of formerly incarcerated students access to long-term, meaningful careers and upward mobility. Research demonstrates that an anti-recidivism community partnership approach is vital to post-release employment success because community organizations know the local dynamic workforce intimately, contributing to greater reentry success than is achieved by involving governmental institutions alone. This program will serve students in the prison BA graduation initiative, who are released to the northeast LOS angeles (90032 ZIP code) area. That community, too, will benefit when equitable pathways lead to stable employment and interrupt the cycle of racial discrimination, unemployment, poverty, and crime. Ongoing program evaluation will consider program outcomes, including employment and wage data, recidivism rates, and will implement data-driven improvements.