On October 13, the city of Riviera Beach, California, sponsored a jobs fair for non-violent ex-prisoners. Nearly 1,000 men and women attended, greatly exceeding the number of participants expected by organizers and overflowing the recreation center hosting the event.
The event was not an aberration. With 700,000 inmates being released from federal and state prisons every year, the need for job training and employment continues to grow. Companies that hire ex-offenders help to reduce recidivism and lower the crime rate. And they usually get employees who are motivated to be good workers and to turn their lives around.
Riviera Beach mayor Thomas Masters says that this event is just the beginning. The next time, though, he hopes to hold the jobs fair in a larger venue, like the convention center in nearby West Palm Beach.
Prison Fellowship partners with faith-based organizations, state agencies, corrections, community-based organizations, victim’s advocacy groups, and the business community to create reentry coalitions committed to assisting ex-prisoners return to society. To learn more about these coalitions, visit our Out4Life page.