Georgia launches job program to assist newly released inmates
The Georgia Department of Labor is launching a re-entry program designed to prevent formerly incarcerated people from returning to imprisonment through employment opportunities and community partnerships. It also is meant to help fill thousands of vacant positions statewide.
The new “Walking the Last Mile” program seeks to engage those incarcerated and returning to society in the last 90 to 120 days.
Bruce Thompson, Commissioner of the Department of Labor from Georgia, says the cap on the inaugural group is still being determined.
“In December, we’ll start our first group. Everyone that has been released will initially have the opportunity and be exposed will go through an interviewing process,” said Thompson.
“Then act as an executive search team or headhunter to find employment for them so that they’re gainfully employed before they ever leave the prison doors.”
Last year, about 19,000 releases occurred between fiscal year 2010 and 2020 to re-enter society from imprisonment every year in Georgia.
According to the most recently available data from the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), 23% return to prison within three years, and data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that Georgia had 372,000 job openings in June of this year.
“The partnership will include our staff identifying those inmates closest to release and pairing them with the DOL staff for skills assessment and training, mock interviews and connectivity with employers,” said a GDC spokesperson.
The Department of Corrections says they are currently working with local partners to provide additional resources for incarcerated people leaving prison.
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