NCJ Number
198096
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 64 Issue: 7 Dated: December 2002 Pages: 112-115
Editor(s)
Susan L. Clayton M.S.
Date Published
December 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article describes the Wayne County Job Readiness Training Program in New York, assisting inmates at the Wayne County Jail to become better prepared for employment.
Abstract
Most incarcerated offenders complete their sentences and are released back into the community. Released inmates who gain employment or are receiving employment services are less likely to recidivate. This would lead to the conclusion that providing job-readiness services to inmates while incarcerated would be an effective program. The Wayne County Jail in New York implemented the Job Readiness Training (JRT) Program justified under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. The WIA was the first major reform in the Nation’s job training system with key principles that include: universal access to services and the adoption of a one-stop service center where customers can receive employment-based services. Participation in the JRT Program is now mandatory for all minor males with a GED or high school diploma, with females choosing to participate. The results of this program are both tangible, with the completion of a resume, and intangible, recognized by the participants’ increase in self-esteem and self-efficacy.