Parolees prepare for local job market

Aug. 28--April Hines is working to improve the chances that parolees become productive members of society.

Hines, a group facilitator at Walk Through the Valley in Wilson and Rocky Mount, works with Recidivism Reduction Services, located at 316 Douglas St.

Last week, the organization coordinated a job fair for parolees with Express Employment Professionals of Rocky Mount, Professional Staffing of Washington and Megaforce in Wilson.

The N.C. Employment Security Commission sent a representative from NCWorks to let offenders reentering society know about the job opportunities that they have available to them.

Amy Thorne, director of operations at RRS, said many of the paroles have never been employed.

"They went from high school to prison," Thorne said.

Offenders who are referred to the program by parole officers or the New Reentry Council of Wilson have the opportunity to participate in a 12-step program where they look back at their lives and analyze mistakes they made that led to their incarceration.

The program is enlightening for the participants.

"The light bulb goes off," Hines said. "We see their attitude has changed."

The whole idea is to show offenders how to achieve success and stay out of prison.

For many, that means stable, gainful employment.

According to Hines, 107 parolees have been referred to the program since the Walk Through the Valley program got underway in October.

Some 22 have completed the program, and at least 15 people have obtained jobs.

They don't always report back that they got a job, so there may be more who have gained employment.

Thorne remembers one "graduate" who was so proud he came back with dirty hands.

"We had one who came up and said 'Look at my hands. Look at my hands." I said, 'They're dirty. Do you need to go wash them?' And he said 'No, I worked.' He didn't want to wash his hands until we saw that," Thorne recalled.

Then when he got his name tag on his shirt, he wore it to group," Hines said. "He had proof."

"One of my clients, he brought me his first paycheck and said, 'I want you to make a copy and put it in my file,'" Hines said.

Of the clients, there are more men than women.

Parolees at the job fair had the opportunity to complete a drug screen on-site and turn in a resume.

"If they meet the qualifications, they could possibly be hired on the spot if they can pass the drug screen," Hines said. "I love to try to get them gainful employment because when you can earn your own money, it opens up a new door for you."

Felicia Thorne, a job placement specialist for the New Reentry Council, said the job fair is a great opportunity.

"When I do this, we help ex-offenders or returning citizens find employment," Thorne said. "We help them with things that they need when they go to work, such as work attire. We help them with safety shoes, We help them with transportation, and we also help them with employment."

Betty Applewhite, who was recently elected chair of the New Reentry Council in Wilson County, said the job fair is an excellent opportunity.

The purpose of the New Reentry Council is in line with that of Walk Through the Valley and RRS.

"We try to work with intermediary agencies, advisory groups as well as the funding agency of the N.C. Department of Public Safety to put a dynamic program together in the community to bring together those resources, profit, nonprofit, employers, educational, health and human resources agencies all at the table to determine how we best make sure that our returnees, our reentries, are getting what they need to reduce our recidivism as well as make them productive citizens," Applewhite said. "Once the reentries identify where the resources are, they will come in and we will do a profile on them. We will look at their needs and try to identify those resources and outreach to those resources and bring more resources. One of the major interests right now would be the housing. Women reentering have limited opportunities for housing here in Wilson County. Getting outside of the Wilson city area through transportation is a major issue. It's those things that we are working with the community to bring together to make it work for all of us."

Hines, at Walk Through the Valley, can be reached by calling 252-443-0982. Thorne, at NCWorks, can be reached by calling 252-234-1129, ext. 222.

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