INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - A consortium of six city and community partners was awarded $500,000 from the United States Department of Labor to assist local, transitioning offenders with workforce entry upon the conclusion of their incarceration. The resulting program will make career development services available inside the Marion County Jail system.
Recent census data has shown that, of the three Marion County Jail facilities, the average length of stay, including low-level felony offenders, is approximately 130 days due to the State of Indiana’s incorporation of community-based alternatives to jail, such as work release centers and electronic monitoring. Data has also shown that, in Marion County, the recidivism rate of unemployed ex-offenders is 63 percent. This brings the need to make workforce connection and education services more readily available to incarcerated residents preparing to transition back into the community. Thanks to the grant award, 100 transitioning offenders will be provided with career development services, including training, career and skills assessments, and job searching prior to their release, as well as ongoing support and follow-up services afterwards.
This city partnership, led by EmployIndy, Marion County’s workforce investment board, includes the Marion County Jail (MCJ), the Marion County Reentry Coalition (MCRC), Public Advocates in Community re-Entry (PACE), Marion County Community Corrections (MCCC) and the Director of Reentry for the City of Indianapolis.
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