by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The city of Jacksonville will serve as the national guinea pig for the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice Ready 4 Work program.
Organizers tout the pilot program as “a business, faith, community and criminal justice partnership” aimed at creating productive ex-offenders and lowering the recidivism rate at the same time.
Last week, about 800 members of the NABCJ filled the Adam’s Mark Hotel for several days of work and play. In addition to a golf outing at North Hampton and The Temptations in concert, the group also conducted a little business through guest speakers and committee brainstorming. Ready 4 Work is just one facet the NABCJ covered, but it could have long-lasting, positive ramifications on the Jacksonville area.
Ready 4 Work is a product of the NABCJ’s Going Home program. It’s designed to help foster employable ex-offenders as they reenter both the real world and the work force upon their release. Addie Richburg, chief strategist for the NABCJ, said the program is not a free-for-all for every criminal released from jail to have a decent-paying job handed to them. Rather, the program will target those currently incarcerated who are not only model inmates, but also show the desire to lead a crime-free lifestyle.
“This is our opportunity to cut through some of the bureaucracy that we find to be in place when individuals are released from prison,” said Richburg. “Employers are often hesitant to hire ex-offenders.”
Richburg said Jacksonville was chosen for Ready 4 Work’s pilot program for three reasons: a recent study conducted by Jacksonville Community Council Inc. impressed the NABCJ, the NABCJ already had a good working relationship with Jacksonville and, according to the 2000 census, Jacksonville has one of the top 10 African-American populations in the country.
“In most states, they [African-Americans] have the largest numbers in prison,” said Richburg. “We have strong contacts and ties here, there is a sense of cooperation and the people are very committed.”
Richburg said plans for the program should finalized in the next few weeks but that doesn’t mean parolees will be getting Ready 4 Work-sponsored jobs in the near future. Richburg believes the entire process could take at least two years from start — working with inmates — to finish — evaluating those inmates after a year on their own and being continually employed.
Initial plans call for 12-18 months of preparation before an inmate is released into the Ready 4 Work program. Richburg said time will be spent evaluating offenders to see who is willing to accept the parameters of the program and follow what will surely be strict guidelines for inclusion.
“There will definitely be some specific criteria,” said Richburg. “We will develop some form of case management and screening. Right now, we are in the process of examining the prison system here in Jacksonville.”
Another facet of the program will be to host job fairs within the jails and prisons in order to both show inmates what’s available work wise and familiarize potential employers with offenders in the program.
Richburg did say the program has drawn a clear line as to who is eligible and who isn’t.
“Individuals we do not want to include would be those convicted of sex crimes and violent crimes,” said Richburg, “at least not for the pilot effort.