The Benefits of
Second Chance Hiring
As many as 1 in 3 adult Americans have a criminal history –
Here’s why you can’t afford to overlook this untapped talent pool
More than 47 million people left their jobs in 2021, while more than 63% of formerly incarcerated individuals remain unemployed 1 year after release. Don’t overlook this undervalued resource.
37 states and municipalities and counties have fair chance or ban-the-box laws, forbidding employers from asking about criminal history until after an initial interview or a conditional job offer has been made. Failing to comply with these laws can expose your company to legal liability, costly fines, and lawsuits.
After the twelve-month coding course that our developers complete on the inside, they often need help with the adjustment into their new jobs upon release. Our coding mentors work with the developers to help them not only with questions about their code, but also with learning to interact in a workplace environment, keep deadlines, and manage their own workload. Coding mentors often spend one hour per week with their developers, but this can be up to each individual mentorship.
One of the greatest business advantages to fair chance hiring is the IRS’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), a federal tax credit for hiring from certain targeted groups, including those with felony convictions. Check with your state and city for other local tax benefits.
Justice-impacted people face so many barriers to employment during their reentry to society, they often endure months or years unable to secure gainful employment. Offering the means to safely provide for a family often results in higher loyalty to the company and lower attrition.
Children of formerly incarcerated parents are 7-11 times more likely to become incarcerated themselves. Choosing candidates with a criminal history reduces the likelihood of further involvement with the justice system for that family, and creates a safer, more equitable community.
Hiring formerly incarcerated people helps support your company’s DE&I initiatives. Since people of color are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system, excluding people with criminal records may have a disparate impact on people of color and lead to unintentional discrimination. In addition, formerly incarcerated people bring diverse viewpoints and experiences that can benefit your company.
Having even a minor criminal record can result in lifelong barriers to successful reentry such as becoming employed. Publicizing your interest in hiring second-chance individuals may increase your attractiveness as a socially responsible employer. The work itself may provide a form of organic rehabilitation for new hires who benefit from the routine and structure of employment.
When you hire a Persevere graduate, you are disrupting the cycle of poverty and recidivism for generations to come. It is profoundly gratifying to see reunified families begin to enjoy the things many of us take for granted; stability, security, hope, and the dignity that comes with being able to meaningfully contribute to society. In spite of the stigma associated with this population, ex-offenders are generally more trustworthy, loyal, and hardworking than the average employee. The truth is, they are a gold mine waiting to be tapped.
In addition to the benefit of having access to highly qualified software developers, an organization that hires someone with a criminal record can take advantage of the Federal Bonding Program that protects them from the risk of losing property or money, and there are generous tax incentives that further sweeten the deal. Cast a vote against the stigma of former incarceration and enjoy the following financial incentives:
WIOA
WOTC
APPRENTICESHIPS
WIOA
WOTC
APPRENTICESHIPS
Mutually Beneficial
Partnerships for a Better World
Indeed is a valued staff augmentation partner. They have hired a team of Persevere Graduate Developers as an extension of their software engineering team to produce a new product called OnDemand. In addition, they are hiring two of our developers for a new platform for their internal systems.
Watch the video to learn more about this very special partnership.
A Partnership for a Better World
Indeed is a valued staff augmentation partner. They have hired a team of Persevere Graduate Developers as an extension of their software engineering team to produce a new product called OnDemand. In addition, they are hiring two of our developers for a new platform for their internal systems.
Watch the video to learn more about this very special partnership.
HIRE A GRADUATE
MENTORSHIPS
APPRENTICESHIPS
The ultimate goal of the Persevere Program is to prepare our participants to succeed in full-time positions with organizations that recognize and celebrate their strengths, skills, and talents. The following companies have seen how second-chance hiring is beneficial to the community and the bottom line.
If you decide to join them, you will be in very good company.
Indeed has hired a team of 8 Persevere developers as an extension of their software engineering team to produce a new product called OnDemand. They are now in the process of hiring 2 developers to work with another branch of the organization on a new platform for their internal systems.
Forbes currently employs 2 of our Persevere developers to work with their teams. This is a rolling 90 day opportunity that can turn into full-time employment if the developers prove themselves during that allotted time frame. Currently, our developers are the primary front-end team at Forbes.
Bounteous provides internships and apprenticeships with potential for the participant to be hired on full-time every 6 months. This opportunity is currently provided to 4 of our developers on a rolling basis. These opportunities can be from e-commerce and CMS systems to front-end/React development.
Amazon is currently providing $50,000 in scholarships for AWS nano-degrees from Udacity. This provides about 28 nano-degree opportunities for our developers at Persevere. Any remaining funds from this partnership will be applied to laptops for the nano-degree students. Staff augmentation is also a current discussion.
Girls In Tech provides mentorship and job search opportunities for some of our female graduates. Girls In Tech CEO, Adriana Gascoigne is a huge advocate for our cause and stands behind us and our mission.
The next chapter is partnered with 11 companies that provide apprenticeship opportunities to formerly incarcerated men and women who have been introduced to software development/coding and are interested in pursuing a career in this field. The average salary of alumni is reported to be $140,000/yr. Some partners of The Next Chapter include Dropbox, Slack, Square, Affirm, Checkr. This is open enrollment and is always an available opportunity for our graduates and employees.
Vant4ge works to provide executable data to probation, parole and correctional teams in order to help release those who should not be incarcerated. Vant4ge believes in supporting all justice-impacted individuals and employs some of our graduates full time.
Udacity (working under a grant from Amazon) is providing 50 scholarships for a tailored software development course to our justice-impacted team members at Persevere. Udacity, Amazon and Persevere have worked together to perfect the curriculum in order to bridge the gap between education restrictions enforced during incarceration. These scholarships will help our justice-impacted team members who have been recently released from prison become more employable as a software engineer upon release.