ARIZONA@WORK Reentry Program hits Record Number of Job Placements in October

From left to right: Nick Pappas, Jared Dechantigny and Ray Bandin

The ARIZONA@WORK Reentry Program saw a record number of job placements in October 2019.  Between the Second Chance Centers (SCCs) and Community-Based Resource Centers (CBRCs), 323 program participants found employment in October alone. That’s in comparison to the monthly average for job placements, which was 182 for all of last fiscal year.

The ARIZONA@WORK Reentry Program is a service that helps people who are fresh out of prison or are soon to be released from prison find employment. In 2017, Governor Doug Ducey announced the launch of the SCCs to help ensure those serving their time are given every chance to succeed when reentering society. Through ARIZONA@WORKs partnership with the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC), ARIZONA@WORK staff is able to provide job preparation and vocational training straight to those who are about to release.   

The SCC job placement numbers have been strong, with an average of 108 placements per month last fiscal year. To date, the SCCs have graduated 3,215 participants from its program, with 2,347 (73%) individuals currently employed. The Reentry Program recently started seeing the same kind of monthly job placement numbers with its CBRCs.

“Since employment success is linked to better community transition outcomes and lower recidivism, the ARIZONA@WORK and ADC team have reason to celebrate,” said Molly Bright, Deputy Assistant Director for the DES Division of Employment and Rehabilitation Services. “Not only are fewer program participants returning to prison, but Arizona businesses are excited to find a new talent pipeline to meet the most difficult workforce needs. The recent increase in success we’re seeing with the CBRCs is strengthening this pipeline and giving participants more optimism and pride in becoming employed members of their community.”

How Parole Officers Support Job Placements

ARIZONA@WORK Reentry Coordinator, Jared Dechantigny, credits the huge uptick in job placements to the collaborative effort between the ARIZONA@WORK Reentry Program and the parole officers.

“One of the big initiatives we’ve been working on is building a relationship with the parole officers,” Dechantigny said. “The best way to drive foot traffic to our office is through that partnership with the POs (parole officers). That’s primarily why we’ve seen such a huge increase.”

Parole officers have taken advantage of the opportunity to leverage ARIZONA@WORK services and help the individuals they work with remain out of prison and succeed in the community. With the demonstrated success of the program, it fosters further opportunities for others.

“They’ve seen success from the program, and because of that, they’ve continued to refer more of their folks, so it’s kind of a snowball effect,” said Dechantigny.

The Role of Employment Counselors in Assisting Former Inmates

The high number of job placements isn’t solely a result of parole officer referrals. The work contributed by ARIZONA@WORK employment counselors has also been a significant factor. Phoenix Parole Office CBRC Employment counselors Nick Pappas and Ray Bandin say they see between 10-30 parolees a day.

Pappas said they provide job leads and resume assistance, connect them with DES services like SNAP (nutrition assistance) and unemployment assistance, for example. They also connect them with shelters, help them obtain ID’s and licenses and other pre-employment information prior to applying with DES.

Pappas and Bandin are often among the first to see recently released inmates, so the help they provide is extremely important to successful reentry. In addition to connecting them with services, they are also able to obtain as many bus passes as necessary, so transportation isn’t an additional barrier to employment.

Employment counselors typically have less than two hours to provide information about benefits, register with Arizona Job Connection, help them create a resume, search job leads and provide professional advice. The time limitation requires the counselors to make an immediate connection.

The Reentry Program is always looking to work with employers willing to hire individuals with background barriers, as 49 separate businesses hired the 323 people placed in October. Visit https://des.az.gov/services/employment/reentry-services to find out more about the Reentry Program, and to see how your business can get involved.