Jobs training for Marion County inmates could help reduce recidivism

For the past three months, Tyrone Anderson has been serving time at the Marion County Jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespassing.

But when the 44-year-old father of three finishes his sentence Wednesday, he's confident he'll stay out of trouble for good — and he credits a new program designed to help short-term inmates find jobs.

Experts say gainful employment is firmly tied to an ex-offender's ability to stay out of jail. Almost half of all people in Marion County returning from a corrections facility will re-offend within three years, according to statistics provided by Community Solutions, a consulting firm representing the Marion County Re-entry Coalition. And 63 percent of those people were unemployed at the time of their offense.

Without a job, Anderson said, "you fall back into old habits. If you ain't right, you will be back. But this gives you a chance to get straight."

Anderson will be one of the first to complete the program, called Linking Employment Activities Pre-release. A $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor funded the program last June.

LEAP brings resume development, interview practice, job training and other employment services to inmates at the jail before their release, said Brian Van Bokkelen, whose organization EmployIndy coordinated the program and grant application.

"It was important to get them on that pathway as soon as possible so they have something to look forward to in the workforce once they exit (jail)," Bokkelen said.

Successful candidates start their job training with a two-week classroom program designed to teach them interview, resume and job-related skills.

Shonna Majors, director of employment services at Public Advocates in Community Re-entry, which works with inmates through the program, said her organization talks extensively with inmates to learn their skills and discover which industry may be a good fit.

She works with more than 100 companies in the Indianapolis area, Majors said, in fields such as construction and hospitality. Other employers, she said, look for welders and machine operators, so her group will often provide training certified by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

By providing training, participants become more attractive to potential employers, even with their records.

"A lot of our clients have not had a typical nine-to-five job," Majors said. "The job training has been amazing, because it's exposing these guys and teaching them a skill set that they didn't have before."

Anderson and Johnny Burger, 33, another participant, both have experience in landscaping and other outdoor work. During their classroom time, they studied textbooks about working with forklifts — the kind of job they anticipate finding when they leave jail.

After their release, both men will train with actual forklifts before program coordinators can place them with a company.

"I'm going to take full advantage of that because that's another job, skill set, that I would like to have added onto my resume," Burger said. "I already have a little experience in fork-lifting because I worked at a couple of warehouses."

Anderson agreed: "I'm going to be somewhere working good, hopefully, by the grace of God."

To qualify for the program, an inmate must be serving a sentence at the Marion County Jail, and must be within 180 days of being released.

Those who qualify also take part in a risk assessment analysis and are evaluated based on their motivation for wanting to find work after leaving jail, said April Angermeier, a Community Solutions consultant.

Only a limited number of Marion County Jail inmates are eligible because of the strict criteria. More than 90 percent of the inmates are awaiting a court date, Angermeier said, which disqualifies them from participation.

"We are getting a lot of interest," Angermeier said. "The challenge that we have is that the jail is mainly housing people that are pretrial."

But Angermeier stressed the importance of programs like LEAP, adding that they help reduce the stigma many ex-offenders face when trying to find employment.

"There's still a lot of employers who won't hire anyone with a criminal history," she said.

Grant funding runs through June 2017, and Majors said organizers hope to work with around 100 inmates throughout the program's duration.

For inmates like Anderson, the program is about more than just finding a job. He said he hasn't talked to any of his children, ages 17, 20 and 22, since going to jail in February. He wants to return to them a proud father.

"They're going to push me," he said.

Most importantly, Anderson said, he hopes to make amends with his 85-year-old father, a former Chevrolet plant worker.

"He's up in age, and I want him to know that I'm going to be all right," he said. "I should have stayed focused. (But) I'm going to be alright."

Call IndyStar reporter Jill Disis at (317) 444-6137. Follow her on Twitter:@jdisis.