2 Nd Chances

2nd Chances acts as a nonprofit job placement service for those with convictions.

 

50% of ‪#‎paroles‬ & 60% ‪#‎probationers‬ are successful.

Of those that do* go back, 85% are due to technical violations, such as not obtaining employment, or a home addresses.

1 in 4 people have some sort of criminal record. 79% of convictions are drug related.

In the past 30 years KYs ‪#‎incarceration‬ rate has increased by 600%.

 

 

Why is this needed, & who does this help?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal legislation across the United States that promotes accuracy, fairness and privacy for data used by consumer reporting agencies, and employment background checks. KY is known as a lifelong state. This means that though a conviction may be 10, 20, 30+ years old without further incidence, a resident of the state can still be denied employment, though this is one of many prudent conditions of probation & parole means not reoffending or technical violation.

The intent of FCRA is fairness in background checks, further supported by EEOC. However, FCRA laws can vary from one state to the next dramatically. For this reason, 2nd chances is working to aid where deficiencies continue to hurt the state of KY in its advancement; greatly in part because the act is not used as a tool of fairness, fraught with stigma and lack of general knowledge around the varying conviction classifications and associated crimes.

Many states no longer allow lifelong checks such as this, addtionally further support the intent of reform by allowing the consideration of low level felony expungement for nonviolent, non abusive crimes for eligibility of expungment; with review & sign off by the court. Those states have adopted this approach with the understanding not all felonies are created alike, and are classified by severity, in the case of KY Class A-D.

Those states in which checks are restricted to 7 or 10 years, or allow consideration for expungment have subsequently reduced serious deficits & inefficiencies costing tax payers & members of the community. This has been additionally successful in aiding those with convictions to truly aspire toward reformed, productive lives which is the intent. Reformed citizens regain a sense of pride and empowerment, supporting their families, and are significantly lower risk to recidivism, public aid, and cycle through generations.

Lowered recidivism decreases prison overcrowding, further risk to inmates & prison staff; lowered state costs, increased state revenue, application of academic & trade skills supported while incarcerated toward a career upon release in a community that understands this, all while fulfilling the need of employers in the community. Organizations also benefit from the Work Opportunity Tax Credit per person employed, & acting socially responsible for the betterment of the community.