By Michelle Orellana
February 2, 2009

Mayors Discuss Ex-Offender Reemployment at Jobs, Education, and the Workforce Standing Committee Meeting

By Michelle Orellana

Mayors from across the nation explored ways to successfully place ex-offenders in jobs to ensure successful re-entry into their communities at the Jobs, Education and the Workforce Committee meeting January 17. St. Louise Mayor Francis Slay, Chair of the Committee, led the discussion with input from Michael Hooks Jr., Southern Regional Coordinator for the Congressional Hip Hop Caucus, and Don Santarelli, President for the National Center for Community Corrections.

Hooks outlined details of the Fatherhood Institute, explaining that the program fosters better relationships between inmate fathers and their children and families through weekly visitation, and also provides job skills training sessions and counseling. "Rehabilitation and job skills go together . . . inmates should not only be rehabilitated, but also given the opportunity to use such programs to be able to find a job," Hooks said. "Rehabilitation is great inside closed doors, but when [inmates] go out, they are destined for failure if they can't find a job."

Santarelli shared his research evaluation Reentry and Employment in St. Louis: A Model for Business, Community, and Workers with the mayors. The report's purpose was to learn about the work that has been ongoing in the city to develop a model that depicts how businesses are engaged with reentry. The Center studied the economic conditions, employer-employee relationship-building and how the criminal justice community has been involved. Santarelli urged mayors to create awareness of the "net benefits to communities" in using such comprehensive approaches.

Emily Barton, Executive Director for the D.C. region, and Michele McLaughlin, Vice President of Federal and State Policy for Teach For America (TFA) also presented to the Committee, outlining how recruiting and training quality teachers for public schools helps to narrow student achievement gaps. According to Barton, 40 percent of TFA's program participants continue teaching in under-resourced public schools beyond their initial two-year commitment, and TFA's membership is composed of 14,000 alumni having served in some of the most challenging urban school communities in the nation. Barton and McLaughlin also recognized the mayors for their tremendous backing. They proudly said, "Mayors have been our greatest supporters."