Justice-involved people often overlooked as workforce assets

Editor's note: this story originally appeared on journalrecord.com on June 1, 2022.

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It is no secret that one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today is a shortage of talent. While many businesses are beginning to recover from 2020 and adjust to seismic workforce shifts, availability of talent remains a persistent challenge for our regional economy. However, an often-overlooked solution is closer than one thinks. Justice-involved people are a population who are otherwise qualified, yet often overlooked for job opportunities because of a criminal conviction in their past – sometimes well in their past.

Businesses that offer justice-involved people an equal shot at jobs within their organizations are called “fair chance employers.” Adopting fair chance employment policies has several benefits that can help in this tight labor market. Businesses with fair chance hiring practices enjoy lower training and turnover costs. In addition to higher retention rates, employees who have been given a fair chance to compete in the marketplace exhibit higher loyalty to the organization giving them that chance.

Related: Chamber releases fair-chance hiring toolkit

Recognizing the numerous questions that arise when a company considers becoming a fair chance employer, the Criminal Justice Advisory Council of Oklahoma County, in partnership with the Greater OKC Chamber, recently released the 2022 Fair Chance Hiring Toolkit for Businesses. The toolkit assists employers with a starting point for how to expand hiring practices and provides resources for candidate recruitment. The toolkit lays out questions employers should ask themselves while developing fair chance hiring policies and procedures. Have you removed questions about felonies or convictions from your application? How will you accommodate needs like parole check-ins or check-ins for their diversion program? These are great places to start.

Related: Should your business consider fair-chance employment?

As the CJAC continues to work toward a more fair and effective justice system in Oklahoma County, we have discovered numerous outstanding partners currently working to help justice-involved people become work-ready. These partners daily assist a host of talented, diverse, and eager individuals ready to shed the label placed on them at the worst time in their lives. Partners across the county not only assist justice-involved people with job training, but with other support services they need to thrive. However, although other services are needed, we know that the two most powerful indicators for whether a person will reoffend are 1) whether they have stable employment, and 2) whether they have housing, which often depends on income.\

Employment for justice-involved individuals is incredibly rewarding for both employers and employees. Embracing the opportunity to hire justice-involved people will connect you with talented and dedicated workers while improving public safety in our community.

Check out the Toolkit at www.okcountycjac.com or visit with a reentry employment specialist at Moore Norman Technology Centers.

Timothy Tardibono is the executive director of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council.

This article originally appeared in The Journal Record on June 1, 2022.