In addition to providing recycling services, a non-profit organization in Indianapolis is providing the community with another important service – assisting ex-inmates in their integration back into society.
Since being established in 2005, RecycleForce has hired hundreds of former inmates, providing them with transitional jobs while preparing them for more permanent employment. Over 360 participants have been placed in full-time jobs, and the recidivism rates for these individuals is well below the local and national averages.
The Department of Labor has selected RecycleForce to take part in a study examining the relationship between employment and recidivism. Over the next two years, RecycleForce will hire 1,000 ex-prisoners. Half of these ex-prisoners will receive in-house counseling and support services, while the other half will have to look outside the program for these services.
“The study will look at the impact relating to recidivism, child support payments and family formations,” says RecycleForce president Greg Keesling, “how people gain skills and move into private sector jobs.”
Employers are much more likely to hire a person with a criminal record if that person has established a reputation as a dependable and reliable worker. Programs like RecycleForce are able to provide references for these ex-prisoners, as well as needed counseling and work training.
To learn more about RecycleForce, visit their website. And for a good biblical explanation of why Christians should care about inmates returning to society from prison, check out their excellent resource, We Are All Fellons Now.