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Press Contact: Erin Nelson-Serrano Building Futures Consultant, United Way of Santa Cruz County (831) 684-1172 WHAT: Fair Chance Job Fair WHEN: Tuesday, August 16, 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. WHERE: Resurrection Church, 7600 Soquel Drive, Aptos, Calif. 95003 FAIR CHANCE JOB FAIR: EMPLOYERS TO OFFER “FAIR CHANCE” FOR JOB SEEKERS The Building Futures collaborative is hosting a Fair Chance Job Fair that is FREE to Fair Chance employers and all job seekers. “Fair Chance”—also known as “Ban the Box”—is a hiring practice supported by proponents of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidelines regarding consideration of a person’s criminal history in hiring decisions. In Fair Chance hiring, employers omit questions related to an applicant’s criminal record upon initial application and consider all applicants based on merit. Fair Chance practices help employers “screen in” all qualified applicants but still permit the use of background checks in compliance with EEOC regulations. The Fair Chance Job Fair is one more event of the “Building Futures” education and engagement efforts as overseen by Santa Cruz County’s Community Corrections Partnership (CCP). The initial Building Futures event was held in June. The event featured training and resources for business owners and human resources professionals on the best hiring practices for applicants with criminal records, and built on Santa Cruz County’s longstanding, progressive approach to offender rehabilitation and reentry. Speakers included local business owners and employees; a former Director of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and a Reentry and Employment Project Manager with the Council for State Governments Justice Center. In April, President Obama launched the Fair Chance Business Pledge, calling on businesses to eliminate barriers to employment for people returning to their communities after incarceration. Facebook, Uber, Starbucks, PepsiCo and many others have joined the initiative. “Businesses are increasingly hiring people with criminal records, but a lot of work remains in reducing the stigma attached to this group so they can find meaningful employment and bring their talents to the labor market,” said Stefan LoBuglio, Director of Corrections and Reentry at The Council of State Governments Justice Center. “Companies with fair hiring practices have discovered these workers perform as well or better than other employees.” Such has been the experience of one of our local Santa Cruz County employers. “We wanted to help people change their lives. Opening up our hiring to these programs gave us the opportunity to train people in a new career, give them some life skills and help our business grow,” said Sequoia Cheney, a cofounder with husband Jack of Wonderfully Raw Gourmet. “These are people who just wanted someone to give them an opportunity, and many became core employees who stayed for many years. It has been tremendously rewarding for us and for them.” Approximately one-third of U.S. adults have a criminal record, and every year more than 700,000 Americans are released from prison while another 9 million cycle through jails. Finding work is key to breaking our nation from the cycle of incarceration, with the potential to save taxpayers some of the hundreds of billions in annual criminal justice spending while mapping a brighter future for the 5 million U.S. children who have had a parent in jail or prison. “Employment is critical to our efforts to improve public safety. Crime is often perpetuated by those who lack hope and feel they are not productive contributors to society,” said Jeanne Woodford, who served as warden at San Quentin State Prison from 1999-2004. “We underestimate the importance of structure and employment in reducing recidivism and making our communities safer.” Recognizing the costly trajectory of incarceration trends, California has undertaken a series of reforms aimed at reducing the prison population and criminal justice burdens on the state and its residents, including AB 109 prison realignment and Proposition 47 sentencing reforms. The Legislature also implemented an amnesty program making it easier for people to reclaim driving privileges. Nationally, more than 100 cities, counties and states have implemented “ban the box” or other Fair Chance hiring reforms, hoping to improve post-incarceration outcomes for people and to reduce re-offending. A recent White House report analyzing the economic benefits of criminal justice reforms underscored the role employment plays in reducing recidivism. The Building Futures collaborative includes members of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, Small Business Development Center, Workforce Development Board, United Way of Santa Cruz County and many more. The Fair Chance Job Fair will feature three dozen Fair Chance employers, and more than one dozen employers—from trades and multiple industry sectors—have already reserved their tables. All interested employers are encouraged to contact Susan Rousculp, Business Services Representative, at FairChanceHires@CABinc.org for further information about the event and Fair Chance hiring guidelines. All job seekers are encouraged to attend, dress in interview attire, and bring employment eligibility documents for immediate hire opportunities. The link for employer registration and to view participating employers is http://fairchance-%20jobfair.eventbrite.com/. Media is invited to attend. Pre-event interviews are available.
Press Contact: Erin Nelson-Serrano Building Futures Consultant, United Way of Santa Cruz County (831) 684-1172 WHAT: Fair Chance Job Fair WHEN: Tuesday, August 16, 1 p.m.- 4 p.m. WHERE: Resurrection Church, 7600 Soquel Drive, Aptos, Calif. 95003
The Building Futures collaborative is hosting a Fair Chance Job Fair that is FREE to Fair Chance employers and all job seekers. “Fair Chance”—also known as “Ban the Box”—is a hiring practice supported by proponents of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) guidelines regarding consideration of a person’s criminal history in hiring decisions. In Fair Chance hiring, employers omit questions related to an applicant’s criminal record upon initial application and consider all applicants based on merit. Fair Chance practices help employers “screen in” all qualified applicants but still permit the use of background checks in compliance with EEOC regulations. The Fair Chance Job Fair is one more event of the “Building Futures” education and engagement efforts as overseen by Santa Cruz County’s Community Corrections Partnership (CCP). The initial Building Futures event was held in June. The event featured training and resources for business owners and human resources professionals on the best hiring practices for applicants with criminal records, and built on Santa Cruz County’s longstanding, progressive approach to offender rehabilitation and reentry. Speakers included local business owners and employees; a former Director of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and a Reentry and Employment Project Manager with the Council for State Governments Justice Center. In April, President Obama launched the Fair Chance Business Pledge, calling on businesses to eliminate barriers to employment for people returning to their communities after incarceration. Facebook, Uber, Starbucks, PepsiCo and many others have joined the initiative. “Businesses are increasingly hiring people with criminal records, but a lot of work remains in reducing the stigma attached to this group so they can find meaningful employment and bring their talents to the labor market,” said Stefan LoBuglio, Director of Corrections and Reentry at The Council of State Governments Justice Center. “Companies with fair hiring practices have discovered these workers perform as well or better than other employees.” Such has been the experience of one of our local Santa Cruz County employers. “We wanted to help people change their lives. Opening up our hiring to these programs gave us the opportunity to train people in a new career, give them some life skills and help our business grow,” said Sequoia Cheney, a cofounder with husband Jack of Wonderfully Raw Gourmet. “These are people who just wanted someone to give them an opportunity, and many became core employees who stayed for many years. It has been tremendously rewarding for us and for them.” Approximately one-third of U.S. adults have a criminal record, and every year more than 700,000 Americans are released from prison while another 9 million cycle through jails. Finding work is key to breaking our nation from the cycle of incarceration, with the potential to save taxpayers some of the hundreds of billions in annual criminal justice spending while mapping a brighter future for the 5 million U.S. children who have had a parent in jail or prison. “Employment is critical to our efforts to improve public safety. Crime is often perpetuated by those who lack hope and feel they are not productive contributors to society,” said Jeanne Woodford, who served as warden at San Quentin State Prison from 1999-2004. “We underestimate the importance of structure and employment in reducing recidivism and making our communities safer.” Recognizing the costly trajectory of incarceration trends, California has undertaken a series of reforms aimed at reducing the prison population and criminal justice burdens on the state and its residents, including AB 109 prison realignment and Proposition 47 sentencing reforms. The Legislature also implemented an amnesty program making it easier for people to reclaim driving privileges. Nationally, more than 100 cities, counties and states have implemented “ban the box” or other Fair Chance hiring reforms, hoping to improve post-incarceration outcomes for people and to reduce re-offending. A recent White House report analyzing the economic benefits of criminal justice reforms underscored the role employment plays in reducing recidivism. The Building Futures collaborative includes members of the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, Small Business Development Center, Workforce Development Board, United Way of Santa Cruz County and many more. The Fair Chance Job Fair will feature three dozen Fair Chance employers, and more than one dozen employers—from trades and multiple industry sectors—have already reserved their tables. All interested employers are encouraged to contact Susan Rousculp, Business Services Representative, at FairChanceHires@CABinc.org for further information about the event and Fair Chance hiring guidelines. All job seekers are encouraged to attend, dress in interview attire, and bring employment eligibility documents for immediate hire opportunities. The link for employer registration and to view participating employers is http://fairchance-%20jobfair.eventbrite.com/. Media is invited to attend. Pre-event interviews are available.