Resources for Ex-offenders

Re-Entry Taskforce
The Marin Reentry Taskforce is a collaboration between the Marin Employment Connection, the Marin County Probation Department and community based organizations that provide resources to ex-offenders.  The mission of the Taskforce is to reduce recidivism in the Marin community by better connecting ex-offenders to employment and other resources.  The Taskforce provides a bi-annual resource fair called “The Road to Work” for people on probation and parole.  The Marin Employment Connection also partners with the California Reentry Program to provide monthly job search workshops at San Quentin State Prison.

Resources for the Formerly Incarcerated

• Advice for Ex-Offenders Looking for Jobs: Blog with practical advice for ex-offenders looking for employment.
• Employment Resources for Ex-Offenders: From ISEEK, Minnesota's comprehensive career, education, and job resource.  This website provides practical tips on selecting a career, background checks and criminal records, training and education, and job search strategies.
• Resource Guide of Service Providers in Marin County

• Getting Out & Staying Out: A Guide to San Francisco Resources for People Leaving Jails and Prisons - This comprehensive resource guide is the product of a collaborative reentry planning process focused on improving access to resources for individuals reintegrating into San Francisco communities after incarceration. Since the first issue, more than 14,000 copies have been distributed to inmates, previously incarcerated people, family members, corrections staff, probation and parole officers and reentry partners.

Resources for Service Providers and the Corrections Community

• National H.I.R.E. Network: Established by the Legal Action Center, the National Helping Individuals with criminal records Re-enter through Employment Network is both a national clearinghouse for information and an advocate for policy change. The goal of the National H.I.R.E. Network is to increase the number and quality of job opportunities available to people with criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and public opinion. The National H.I.R.E. Network also provides training and technical assistance to agencies working to improve the employment prospects for people with criminal records.
• National Offender Workforce Development Partnership: Part of the National Institute of Corrections, the mission of the partnership is to facilitate a transitional approach to apprenticeships and employment strategies for ex-offenders.  Their website includes strategies for working with limited resources, ideas for pilot projects, and other resources.
• National Reentry Resource Center: The Resource Center, established by the Second Chance Act, provides assistance to the prisoner reentry field.  They provide education, training, and technical assistance to government organizations, nonprofits, and correction agencies working on prisoner reentry.  The website is organized around Popular Topics such as Employment, as well as target audiences of States/Locals, Community and Faith-Based Organizations, and People Returning Home, with each page providing key resources, aswell as programs that are examples of best practices.
• Public/Private Ventures: P/PV has designed and tested a variety of approaches aimed at reducing crime and violence; promoting the successful reentry of formerly incarcerated adults; and helping high-risk youth avoid deeper involvement with the criminal justice system.  Among their publications are Mentoring Formerly Incarcerated Adults: Insights from the Ready4Work Reentry Initiative, and From Options to Action: A Roadmap for City Leaders to Connect Formerly Incarcerated Individuals to Work.
• Workforce Developments: Blog for workforce professionals which features monthly posts on reentry issues.