Jobs 4 Freedom Final Push

The Jobs for Freedom Initiative provides needed solutions to the employment barriers formerly incarcerated residents face in our County.  The goal of the initiative is to develop a pipeline for a minimum of 1,400 members of the Alameda County formerly incarcerated residents and opportunity youth to obtain Alameda County jobs. The initiative utilizes a best-practice model to provide leadership development, reduction of employment barriers and court advocacy for participants that have continued contact with the criminal justice system.  Building from successful employment models like the Jobs Now! program in San Francisco and Project Search in Alameda County, the Jobs for Freedom Initiative will strengthen outcomes for our re-entry population. We want the Alameda Board of Supervisors to support the establishment and implementation of the Jobs for Freedom Initiative as proposed by the Justice Reinvestment Coalition of Alameda County.

Over the last 5 years, Alameda County’s criminal justice system has experienced a decreased average daily population of 1,400 bed days in Santa Rita and Glen Dyer jails per year. Legislative advances like AB109, SB 678 and Proposition 47 have provided the impetus for such changes, yet research shows that without gainful employment, formerly incarcerated people are likely to reenter the system.  People who have convictions or even arrests without conviction face enormous barriers to employment. Incarceration leads up to a 30% decline in employment post release.  90% of employers utilize criminal background checks resulting in a 50% decrease in hiring callbacks for those with arrests or convictions on their record.  Alameda County’s elevated formerly incarcerated population, 375,000 of a total population of 1.2 million necessitates County leadership in providing quality jobs with good wages and benefits to the formerly incarcerated.  Leadership from the County on providing good jobs to this population will lift up entire families and strengthen our community.

We urge you to take action at the Board of Supervisors meeting in June 2016 to support the implementation of the Jobs for Freedom program in FY2016-2017, in its full concept with the following components: 1. County Employment. Alameda County shall designate 1,400 permanent County jobs across classifications and county agencies for this Initiative to ensure that individual people’s skills and interests are matched by the diversity of job offerings. While the salaries and fringe benefits shall be subsidized through this Initiative for 12 months, the employing agency shall cover the ongoing costs after the first 12 months. 2. Leadership Development. All Initiative county employees will be offered leadership development and mentoring services from Job Coaches/Mentors, who may have been incarcerated themselves and are hired by community-based agency(s) to ensure culturally specific and community level support.  3. Court Advocacy.  Community based Court Advocates will assist people who are being held in Alameda County Jail pending resolution of their criminal case to attain Release on Own Recognizance (OR) in order to be placed into county employment, and those on Alameda County adult probation supervision to be terminated early from supervision. Court Advocates will also support Initiative county employees in attaining all criminal records related remedies. 4. Reform County Policies. During the first year of the Initiative, Alameda County shall assess and report on its implementation of its Fair Chance “Ban the Box” policy, and identify opportunities for expansion, including but not limited to, application to all private employers, and/or contracting preferences for employers hiring people with records.