Warren’s Journey from Orijin Learner to Justice-Impacted Leader
When Warren Allen was transferred to a juvenile detention center in Washington, D.C., as part of a resentencing agreement, he found the max block in disarray. In a block holding 160 young men, only two phones worked, and access to them was tightly controlled by competing factions. Just one TV worked, and the only ball […]
Orijin Empowers Justice-Impacted Woman on the Wheel of Life
It was the year 2020, as the country was in the throes of the pandemic, when Saulina Eady found herself alone in a Baltimore prison cell serving a four-year sentence. Being apart from her 4 children who were thousands of miles away in California, and not being exposed to enrichment, education, or people, triggered depression […]
Special Q&A Interview with Harris Ferrell, CEO, Orijin
According to the Prison Policy Initiative, formerly incarcerated people are nearly 5 times more likely to be unemployed, and those who do find jobs, earn only about half of what the average worker earns. We had the opportunity to meet with Harris Ferrell, who joined Orijin as its CEO in 2018, to learn about his […]
Education, Innovation and 2nd Chances with ETS
At ETS Strategic Capital, we seek innovative ideas and technologies of strategic value in six key areas: higher-ed, K-12, workforce corporate learning and assessment, innovative technologies for education, and white space. Now, as the Managing Director and CIO of ETS Strategic Capital and a board member of APDS, I have the privilege of bringing together […]
Education First! The Transformative Key to Second Chance Success
“Embracing an “Education First” approach to incarceration empowers the Justice-Impacted to thrive in the workforce and contribute positively to society.Education gives the 600,000 people released from correctional facilities each year a second chance.” In corrections reform, integrating education and workforce initiatives is pivotal to the successful reentry of previously incarcerated individuals, and it makes […]
Unlocking Potential: The Importance of Second Chance AND Fair Chance Hiring Practices
“Second Chance and Fair Chance hiring practices aren’t just about giving individuals a second shot at life; they’re about building stronger, more inclusive communities and fostering a fairer society.” In the quest for a just and inclusive society, Second Chance and Fair Chance hiring practices have emerged as powerful tools for change…change for justice impacted […]
Embracing Second Chances: The Transformative Intersection of Technology and Corrections Reform
In the rapidly evolving world of corrections reform, technology integration offers unprecedented opportunities to drive positive change. Traditional employment barriers faced by individuals with a criminal record can be dismantled through the power of technology. Online platforms and remote work opportunities have revolutionized how we connect and collaborate. By leveraging technology, we can provide access […]
Changing from Correctional Facilities to Educational Facilities
In the vast landscape of social reform, the power of education stands tall. As the co-founder of APDS and an ambassador for the 2nd Chances @ Work campaign, my mission is rooted in the belief that education, bolstered by career readiness, can unlock potential, transform trajectories, and rebuild lives for the estimated 1.77M individuals currently […]
Unseen Assets: The Untapped Talent of Justice-Impacted Individuals
The dynamic labor market holds a vast, untapped resource in justice-impacted individuals. Despite facing societal barriers and stigmas, these folks have proven to be among the hardest workers and committed employees. In fact, 85% of human resources executives and 81% of business leaders report that justice-impacted individuals perform the same as, or better than, […]
From Life without Parole to Strategist with Washington State Office of Public Defense
I am Kimonti Carter, a 2nd Chances at Work Ambassador, Community Activist, and the Founder of Taking Education and Creating History (T.E.A.C.H.), a prisoner self-education program supported by APDS. At the age of 18, I was sentenced to life without parole and spent 25 years and three months of my life in a federal prison. […]
