Work To Break the Cycle

2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Shelby County, TN Mayor Lee Harris’s “Work to Break the Cycle” is a job website featuring updated Shelby County Government positions for individuals with arrest or conviction records. It complements the 2020 Ban the Box Ordinance, which removed questions about criminal history from job applications. This initiative has facilitated numerous opportunities for previously incarcerated individuals to join the county government workforce, with over 100 employment offers extended. By offering tailored jobs, Harris aims to reduce recidivism rates, as employment cuts reoffending chances by 20%. This dedicated job site enhances application confidence, promotes local economic engagement, and reduces incarceration expenses, aligning with the goal of reintegrating justice-impacted individuals into the community.

Impact:

Harris believes each hire is a marker of success. Since launching in May 2023, the program has resulted in employment offers to over 100 individuals so far, with plans to partner with the local Chamber of Commerce to provide more job opportunities. These jobs not only change their situation, but it has a ripple impact for their families and the Shelby County Community as a whole.

Work To Break the Cycle

 2023 Ideas Challenge Entry

Shelby County, TN Mayor Lee Harris’s “Work to Break the Cycle” is a job website featuring updated Shelby County Government positions for individuals with arrest or conviction records. It complements the 2020 Ban the Box Ordinance, which removed questions about criminal history from job applications. This initiative has facilitated numerous opportunities for previously incarcerated individuals to join the county government workforce, with over 100 employment offers extended. By offering tailored jobs, Harris aims to reduce recidivism rates, as employment cuts reoffending chances by 20%. This dedicated job site enhances application confidence, promotes local economic engagement, and reduces incarceration expenses, aligning with the goal of reintegrating justice-impacted individuals into the community.

 

Impact:

Harris believes each hire is a marker of success. Since launching in May 2023, the program has resulted in employment offers to over 100 individuals so far, with plans to partner with the local Chamber of Commerce to provide more job opportunities. These jobs not only change their situation, but it has a ripple impact for their families and the Shelby County Community as a whole.

 

Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist: Reducing Recidivism with Employment

This week, NewDEAL Leader Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist joined leaders from government, business, and law enforcement to announce a new proposal for a  “Job Court” pilot program. The program is a creative solution to decrease recidivism rates by making employment opportunities available for defendants accused of low-level, nonviolent crimes. The $5.5 million investment would give 450 eligible defendants good paying jobs and transferable career skills that will help them find jobs after their sentence. To read more about how this proposal could reduce recidivism and give Michiganders a second chance while also helping businesses staff up, read the article here.

Representative Scott Holcomb: Better Protections for Victims of Wrongful Conviction

The Georgia House of Representatives unanimously passed NewDEAL Leader Representative Scott Holcomb’s legislation to improve the process for compensating victims of wrongful conviction. Under the bill, a newly created panel of legal experts would review potential wrongful convictions and make a compensation recommendation to a House Committee, replacing the need for a House member to file a special resolution. The measure would have the state pay victims between $50,000 and $100,000 per year spent incarcerated. According to Holcomb, 38 states have a similar system in place for compensating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Clare Gilbert, Executive Director of the Georgia Innocence Project, which works to free the wrongfully convicted, praised the legislation’s passage, saying “This bill does provide some financial security for exonerees to rebuild their lives in freedom.” The legislation will now head to the Senate. Read more here.

Tennessee Senator Raumesh Akbari: New Efforts to Increase Public Safety with Better Policing

As the Memphis community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers, NewDEAL Leader Tennessee Senator Raumesh Akbari, who represents the city, introduced a legislative package to strengthen police reforms in the state. Among the proposals, Akbari addresses the urging of RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mother, to establish a duty to intervene for any police officers when they observe a fellow officer using excessive force. Other legislation would address criminal consequences around the improper use of force and the failure to render medical aid to individuals injured during an interaction with officers. In a statement, Akbari said she understands the heavy burden on police officers, but that the new laws will lead to better policing, “After George Floyd, Tennessee was one of the few states that adopted many of the ‘8 Can’t Wait’ legislation, around chokeholds, around duty to intervene, around use of force, but for me we need to strengthen those laws right now. We need to actually have real criminal consequences.” Read more about Senator Akbari’s efforts to build on and strengthen the landmark police reform bill enacted in the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020.

Bexar County District Court Judge Monique Diaz: Survivors of Domestic Violence

NewDEAL Leader and Bexar County District Court Judge Monique Diaz’s Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence commemorated three years of service this week. The commission released a comprehensive report overviewing the efficacy of the program in providing support to domestic violence survivors, raising awareness around the warning signs of abuse, and expanding the power of judges to issue compliance orders to perpetrators, all aimed at reducing cases of family violence in the county. In the past year alone, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, co-chaired by Diaz and Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, has been able to connect 1,600 survivors with crisis support services and train over 300 medical professionals to recognize the signs of abuse. As the program enters its fourth year, Diaz highlighted the importance of taking a holistic approach to harm reduction, emphasizing a need to include the voices of offenders and of families impacted by abuse. For more on the Commission, click here.

NewDEAL Leader Champions Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence

NewDEAL Leader and Bexar County District Court Judge Monique Diaz’s Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence commemorated three years of service this week. The commission released a comprehensive report overviewing the efficacy of the program in providing support to domestic violence survivors, raising awareness around the warning signs of abuse, and expanding the power of judges to issue compliance orders to perpetrators, all aimed at reducing cases of family violence in the county. In the past year alone, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, co-chaired by Diaz and Deputy City Manager Maria Villagomez, has been able to connect 1,600 survivors with crisis support services and train over 300 medical professionals to recognize the signs of abuse. As the program enters its fourth year, Diaz highlighted the importance of taking a holistic approach to harm reduction, emphasizing a need to include the voices of offenders and of families impacted by abuse. For more on the Commission, click here.

New Efforts to Increase Public Safety with Better Policing

As the Memphis community continues to grapple with the aftermath of the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police officers, NewDEAL Leader Tennessee Senator Raumesh Akbari, who represents the city, introduced a legislative package to strengthen police reforms in the state. Among the proposals, Akbari addresses the urging of RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mother, to establish a duty to intervene for any police officers when they observe a fellow officer using excessive force. Other legislation would address criminal consequences around the improper use of force and the failure to render medical aid to individuals injured during an interaction with officers. In a statement, Akbari said she understands the heavy burden on police officers, but that the new laws will lead to better policing, “After George Floyd, Tennessee was one of the few states that adopted many of the ‘8 Can’t Wait’ legislation, around chokeholds, around duty to intervene, around use of force, but for me we need to strengthen those laws right now. We need to actually have real criminal consequences.” Read more about Senator Akbari’s efforts to build on and strengthen the landmark police reform bill enacted in the wake of the death of George Floyd in 2020.

thumbnail

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTION – Texas: Bexar County District Court Judge Monique Diaz

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROTECTION – Texas: Bexar County District Court Judge Monique Diaz, who co-chairs the county’s Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence, released a new report highlighting the commission’s progress, which includes providing case workers to support survivors, training more than 300 medical students on available resources, and giving judges new tools aimed at keeping guns away from perpetrators of domestic violence.

ARP: Hartford expand Reentry Welcome Center to Support Individuals Returning to Society After Incarceration

Mayor Luke Bronin and the City of Hartford utilized $900,000 in ARPA grant funding to expand and open a new location for their Reentry Welcome Center, which supports individuals returning to society after incarceration in their transition back into community life. The Reentry Welcome Center, a collaboration between the city and Community Partners in Action, first opened in 2018 at City Hall and has assisted more than 1,000 people. With the new location, which includes community meeting space and a computer lab, the Reentry Welcome Center will have the capacity to help even more people — including those on probation and parole — and add additional programming for pre-release services.

Subscribe

Recent News

State Official: 1864 abortion ban gives Arizona ‘black eye’

The nonprofit NewDEAL—short for Developing Exceptional American Leaders, and reminiscent of the expansion of progressive...
LEARN MORE

State and local leaders from across the nation shine spotlight on Phoenix’s vitality

Four years ago, Phoenix and the nation faced a global pandemic that we had not...
LEARN MORE

New Poll: Freedom and Democracy Key to Vote Choice in 2024

New Poll find freedom and democracy will be key to voters choices in 2024
LEARN MORE

NewDEAL Statement on Arizona Supreme Court Decision: One More Step in Stripping Away Rights of Millions of Women

Statement from NewDEAL CEO on Arizona Supreme Court Decision
LEARN MORE