Intensive Re-entry Program

“We don’t hire people because they are ex-offenders,
we hire people because they’re most qualified,”
in the February 2012 edition of HR Magazine in an
article by Eric Krell, “Consider the Risks –
And Rewards – of Hiring Ex Offenders. 

“It takes courage to grow up. It takes thought to make a change. Willpower, dignity, growth, and strength play a major role in life. You have to know yourself, who you are, and what you stand for. You are your own best friend as well as your own worst enemy…. We are the Cognitive Community”, a powerful quote from the Intensive Re-Entry Program brochure at Coffeewood Correctional Center. 

Phase II of the Re-Entry Program is called Cognitive Community & Release Preparation, and is implemented in the final 6 months of an offender’s term. The program is further described as “the stepping stone in the returning citizen’s release process.”  Among the components of the program during the twenty-four weeks is a proactive career readiness training.

In addition to the Intensive Re-entry Program, Coffeewood Correctional Center also trains the inmates in several vocational skills. They are trained in forms of Optometry, small engine repair, and floor covering installation. These are skills that can make them more marketable as they return to the workforce.

Have you considered hiring an ex-offender? Though there are legal, practical, and risk issues to consider, there are ways to reconcile these with great results. Mark Washington, HR Director for the City of Austin, put it well, “We don’t hire people because they are ex-offenders, we hire people because they’re most qualified,” in the February 2012 edition of HR Magazine in an article by Eric Krell, “Consider the Risks – And Rewards – of Hiring Ex Offenders. He goes on to say, “The more productive and employable we can make all of our citizens, the more they can provide to the society they live in.”

We have hosted two speakers from Coffeewood Correctional Center at Culpeper Chamber meetings over the past few weeks. The issue of re-entry employment is always a sensitive subject. There are many questions and sometimes no “certain” answers. However, the need for a business to be aware of the opportunities to give a person a second chance is what community is all about. Many of those re-entering the workforce will not want to locate in Culpeper. However, there are a number that will come back to Culpeper to live, in hopes of restarting their lives. Having a job is a vital part of success.

The workforce specialists at Coffeewood Correctional Center are reaching out to the business community in hopes of establishing partnerships. The Center will be hosting upcoming job fairs. If your business is interested in finding out more about job candidates, please contact Coffeewood Correctional Center in Mitchells, Virginia for more information. Ask about participating in an upcoming job fair to support the re-entry program.

“It takes thought to make a change” – we can make a change one job at a time, allowing willpower, dignity, growth, and strength to play a major role in the life of an ex-offender through job success.