Offender Employment : One-Stops

GAO Report on Community Colleges and One-Stops

Scott — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:21:00 GMT

Guest blogger John Moore, Chief of the National Institute of Corrections Offender Workforce Development Division, contributed the information below.

"Community Colleges and One-Stop Centers Collaborate to Meet 21st Century Workforce Needs"

This report focuses on (1) how community colleges meet the workforce training needs of their communities; (2) what community colleges do to integrate with the nation's one-stop system; (3) the conditions or practices that enhance or impede these efforts; and (4) the actions the Departments of Labor and Education have taken to encourage linkages between community colleges and the workforce investment system, including one-stops.

In addition to providing good information on building collaboration between One-Stop Career Centers with Community Colleges and various funding initiatives, this report and a previous GAO report recommends the elimination of performance measures by the WIA that serve as disincentives to the DOL One-Stop System to serve clients with multiple barriers to employment.

This would hopefully pave the way for those with criminal histories to be served and may assist in bridging DOL One-Stop Career Centers to Corrections Career Resource Centers in the future much like exist between the Montgomery County Jail and the One-Stop Career System in Maryland.

This information would also be of value to Directors of Correctional Industries, who may be forging a working relationship with local Community Colleges in developing apprenticeship programs.

Interview with Diana Bailey from inside the MDSE Mobile Unit

Scott — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:39:00 GMT

Maryland's Correctional Education Transition Mobile Unit was recently featured at the National Defender/Workforce Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. The Mobile Unit provides transitional information and library services for inmates in the pre-release system in Maryland. The unit, which was designed and is operated by the Maryland State Department of Education, travels across the Maryland to prepare men and women for release from incarceration into the community and employment.

The video below is an interview with Diana Bailey, Workforce Development/Transition Coordinator with the Maryland State Department of Education, from inside the Mobile Unit.

View Video
Format: aspx
Duration: 4:36

President Signs Second Chance Act

Scott — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:11:00 GMT

The President signed H.R. 1593, the Second Chance Act, on April 9th at 10:30 a.m. Read the transcript of his comments here and the White House fact sheet here.

Click here to read the full text of the Second Chance Act.

Click here for an overview of the Second Chance Act.

Click here, here, and here to read NY Times articles about the Second Chance Act.

Read Chris Uggen's blog entry about the Second Chance Act here.

Information about the upcoming Defendant/Offender Workforce Development (DOWD) Conference

Scott — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 12:55:00 GMT

The 2008 Defendant/Offender Workforce Development (DOWD) Conference will take place April 13 - 16 in Cleveland, OH. The National Career Development Association (NCDA) will partner with the US Probation Office - Northern District of Ohio, the National Institute of Corrections, Federal Bureau of Prisons, US Probation Office of Eastern District of Missouri, Offices of Probation and Pre-Trial Services; and the Administrative Office of the US Courts, to host the conference.

Click here for the 2008 DOWD Conference program.

Please visit NCDA's DOWD Conference Webpage for hotel and registration information.

CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

Sunday, April 13, 2008:
3:00 - 6:00 pm Registration Open & Exhibitor Set Up
4:00 - 6:00 pm OWDS Master Trainers/Instructors Meeting
5:00 - 6:00 pm First timers Session
7:00 - 8:30 pm OWDS Reunion Reception

Monday, April 14, 2008:
8:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration Open & Exhibits Open
9:00 - 11:30 am NIC Sponsored Pre-Conference Workshops (no cost)
12:00 - 2:00 pm Opening Luncheon/Keynote
2:30 - 4:00 pm Presentations Series A
4:20 - 5:50 pm Presentations Series B
6:30 - 8:00 pm Opening Reception

Tuesday, April 15, 2008:
7:30 - 8:30 am Continental Breakfast
7:30 - 5:00 pm Registration Open & Exhibits Open
8:30 - 10:00 am Second Plenary/Keynote
10:30 - 12:00 pm Presentations Series C
12:30 - 2:00 pm Awards Luncheon
2:30 - 4:00 pm Presentations Series D
2:30 - 4:00 pm Tours of Federal Facility
4:00 - 6:00 pm Exhibits Tear Down
6:00 pm Group Night Out (additional cost required)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008:
8:00 - 9:00 am Continental Breakfast
8:00 am - 2:00 pm Registration Open
9:00 - 10:30 am Closing Plenary/Keynote
10:30 am - 12:30 pm Regional Roundtables
1:00 - 5:00 pm Inmate Skills Development System Training for BOP Coordinators

Philadelphia One-Stop Reentry Centers

Scott — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:41:00 GMT

Philadelphia plans to open a second One-Stop Reentry Center in September. The locations of both centers are:

Southwest Philadelphia Office

1741 S. 54TH STREET

PHILADELPHIA, PA 19143

(Headquarters)

Kensington Office (Grand Opening in mid-September)

1952 E. ALLEGHENY AVENUE

PHILADELPHIA, PA 19132

(Satellite)

Services offered

Job Readiness Training

Job Training

Job Placement & Retention

GED Classes

Mental Health

Substance Abuse

Housing

Parenting Classes

Probation and Parole Accessibility

Utilities Assistance

Mentoring

Case Management

Legal Education Workshop

Motivational and Educational Seminars

State of the Art Computer Technology

Telephone, Fax, Copier

Legal Services

Identification Restoration

Introducing the Maryland State Department of Education Re-entry Mobile Unit (info and pictures)!

Scott — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:02:00 GMT

From Diana Bailey:

Mission: The mission of Maryland State Department of Education Re-entry Mobile Unit is to provide community information, education training and employment resources for inmates who are about to return to the community.

The Re-entry Mobile Unit will have resources in a variety of formats to offer:

Library resources
Career options
Current employment possibilities
Parenting information
ESL materials
Community services directories
Resume writing skills
Health information
Licensing information
Information on how to access the Internet for jobs, to get GED, to find housing, and to get homework help for school aged children

The The Re-entry Mobile Unit was initiated as a cooperative venture with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS), and Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE). It is equipped with a remote satellite that will not impact the institution. The materials and technology will be for inmate use, the only staff being allowed access being the mobile operator.