June 2000 13 Mock Job Fairs in – Tracking Participants

Sylvia G. McCollum, Federal Bureau of

PROTECTING THE PUBLIC by special inmate employment needs. Mock job the leadership of Marilyn Moses, program confining inmates in secure institutions and fairs were open on a voluntary basis to se- manager, published Project Re-Enterprise: A providing opportunities for them to prepare lected within a year or less of re- Texas Program. This report described in de- for the transition from prison to their com- lease. These prisoners participated in job in- tail the origin and growth of the Texas mock munities as law-abiding citizens are two cor- terviews (generally five during the one-day job fair program and highlighted its possible nerstones of the mission of the Federal Bu- mock job fair) conducted by professional replication by other correctional systems. This reau of Prisons (BOP). These transition op- company recruiters from employers operat- was followed up by NIJ’s sponsorship of a portunities include mandatory literacy to ing businesses in nearby communities. A national conference, It’s Our Business, in Aus- achieve a GED; English as a Second Language critical ingredient of these mock job fairs was tin, Texas, September 30 to October 1, 1996. for those who need it, and occupational train- the assurance by CPI that company recruit- This conference exposed a diverse mixture of ing and work in Industries ers were not required or expected to make any employers and criminal justice representa- (FPI) to acquire the skills essential for post- job offers. The purpose of the job fair was tives (including BOP staff) to the potential release employment. In addition, BOP policy educational: to help inmates learn and prac- value of inmate employment assistance pro- requires all federal prisons to offer release tice job interviewing skills. grams. Shortly thereafter the BOP decided to preparation programs addressing such life Despite these assurances very few com- strengthen its existing inmate release prepa- skills as parenting, financial management, panies initially were willing to become in- ration programs by establishing an inmate problem solving, stress management, avoid- volved. Many employer representatives had placement program branch, which would ing substance abuse, and related free-world never been inside a prison and had no inten- build on practices already proved successful survival skills. tion of doing so. It took many written and in other corrections systems and explore new The BOP also places heavy emphasis on telephone invitations followed up by personal program possibilities. teaching inmates job search and job retention visits to company personnel offices and in- The bureau had a long history of manda- skills, since we know that employment is one formal contacts with local chambers of com- tory literacy programs, and by 1991 had es- of the best indicators for post-release success. merce and other employer associations to tablished the General Development Diploma Prior to 1996, several federal prisons held job convince a handful of employers to partici- as its literacy standard. Promotion to all in- fairs, but they focused on providing job and pate in the first mock job fairs in Texas. Based stitution and prison industry jobs above the related employment information, very simi- on these early efforts and their modest results, entry level was contingent on achieving the lar to job fairs held in high schools and col- Southerland was able to obtain a $450,000 diploma. In addition, institutions were re- leges. This format did not address the more grant from the Texas Board of Criminal Jus- quired to provide occupational training pro- extensive needs of men and women who had tice to fund job fairs in additional Texas pris- grams reflecting both the institution’s main- been in prison and out of the labor market ons. By 1995 over 250 companies were par- tenance skill requirements and current free- for many years. Their long enforced absence ticipating in the CPI mock job fair program. world employment opportunities. These pro- from the labor market required additional Apple Computers, Doubletree Hotels, IBM, grams, coupled with the training and work attention to their job readiness and job search Wal-Mart and Motorola were among the bet- opportunities provided by employment in and retention skills. ter known national companies that were FPI, helped prepare many federal prisoners The Prevention Institute (CPI) is joined by many local community employers for post-release employment. a non-profit organization based in Texas. in these efforts. What was missing was a direct connec- Under the leadership of its executive direc- National attention was focused on this tion between the releasing inmate and poten- tor, Robb Southerland, it introduced mock exciting new program in August 1996 when tial employers. Many prisoners were not in- job fairs into Texas prisons to help meet these the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), under volved in legitimate employment at the time 14 FEDERAL PROBATION Volume 64 Number 1

of their arrest and incarceration, and many BOP field staff, inmate employment programs periences during incarceration. Institutions also lacked legitimate job skills. These prob- in federal correctional institutions have grown are encouraged to hold job fairs that combine lems, coupled with long absences from the impressively in the three years since the IPPB scheduled job interviews with information labor market due to their incarceration, pre- was established. The most impressive growth resources. Staff from motor vehicle, social sented special challenges to correctional ad- has been in the mock job fair effort. Federal security, employment service, community ministrators trying to reduce the recidivism correctional institutions (FCI) are encour- corrections centers (halfway houses), federal rate by connecting released offenders to early aged to hold annual mock job fairs to assist probation, and other agencies that released employment. federal prisoners to strengthen their job offenders can expect to contact are invited to search skills. staff information desks during the job fair; Employment Enhancement Similar to the Texas model, company re- they may also provide relevant publications. Programs cruiters are invited into federal prisons to pro- At many of the job fairs, the longest lines of In an effort to focus more attention on post- vide inmate participants with realistic job in- inmates waiting to speak to resource visitors release employment, the Federal Bureau of terview experiences, followed by immediate have been in front of the motor vehicle ad- Prisons established the Inmate Placement one-on-one evaluations of their performance. ministration, community corrections center, Program Branch (IPPB) in October, 1996. Each participating inmate is required to en- and probation information tables. This may The branch focused on the following activi- roll in job fair preparation classes ranging reflect the main areas of anxiety and concern ties: from 14 to 25 hours of instruction. Instruc- shared by inmates close to release. • Holding mock job fairs at appropriate fed- tion is frequently provided by nearby educa- A Mock Job Fair Handbook has been pub- eral prisons to educate inmates in the proper tion and training organizations such as El lished by the BOP, which walks involved staff conduct of job interviews and to expose com- Camino College at FCI Terminal Island, through the many steps that lead up to the pany recruiters to the skilled labor pool avail- Metropolitan Center in Los Ange- job fair day, and tells how to conduct the fair able among inmates about to be released; les and Metropolitan Correctional Center in itself. Sample letters to community-based San Diego, Redlands Community College at employers and educational and community • Training inmates scheduled to participate FCI El Reno, Pima College at FCI Tucson, service agencies are included in the handbook, in job fairs in resume preparation, the con- Eastern Arizona College at FCI Safford, and the importance of planning and follow- duct of job interviews, positive coping and Women and Youth for Self Reliance at FPC up procedures is also highlighted. Special sec- related job readiness skills; Phoenix, Tarrant County Community Col- tions discuss the selection of inmates for job • Soliciting from employers lists of job open- lege at Federal Medical Center, Fort Worth, fair participation and pre-job fair training. ings to be posted in prisons, and encourag- and Holmes Community College at FCI Over 750 hard-copy handbooks have been ing about to be released inmates to apply for Yazoo City. In some cases the training is pro- distributed not only to federal correctional listed job openings; vided by local correctional institution staff staff but also to staff in many state and local who are already involved in substance abuse, correctional systems, and the handbook has • Responding to inmate correspondence release preparation, or some other related been translated into French by correctional about post-release employment and encour- inmate education program. colleagues in Canada. The handbook is also aging federal prisons to establish employment Courses include how to prepare job ap- available on the IPPB web site: resource centers to provide on-site informa- plications and resumes, the importance of www.unicor.gov/placement. This web site, tion and assistance to federal prisoners. good grooming and proper posture during from which the handbook can be down- • Encouraging federal prisoners soon to be the interview, how to answer some of the loaded, has received over 9000 “hits” since its released to prepare employment portfolios tough questions regarding individual felony establishment in 1997. which include, at a minimum, a certified copy records, and how to focus on the positive ex- The table below reflects the growth of the of a birth certificate, a social security card, a resume, an application for a driver’s license, a picture identification, education transcripts Mock Job Fairs and documentation of work and related ex- perience while incarcerated, and copies of FISCAL NUMBER OF NUMBER OF BOP NUMBER OF education/training achievement certificates YEAR FAIRS INSTITUTIONS FEDERAL PRISONERS and diplomas; INVOLVED* INVOLVED

• Training staff assigned to inmate employ- 1997 4 4 305 ment enhancement programs; 1998 15 12 715 • Serving as a resource and information clear- inghouse for similar programs in other fed- 1999 37 25 1,661 eral agencies and in state and local correc- tional systems. 2000 (thru 12/8/99)14 6 570 Total 70 47 3,251 The Mock Job Fair Experience

Thanks to the energy and commitment of * Each institution is counted once, even if it had multiple job fairs. June 2000 MOCK JOB FAIRS 15 job fair program in the three years since its as Danbury and Lexington, which have held partners in the program and, like the com- inception, particularly in the number of in- information job fairs for many years, com- pany representatives, asked the institution to mates who have participated. The growth is bined their most recent fairs with inmate job be sure to invite them back to the next job particularly impressive because organizing interviews. A regional listing of BOP job fairs fair. Although the primary focus of the job job fairs is voluntary, as is inmate participa- is shown below. fair was the education of the inmates, it soon tion in them. Staff members undertake re- became apparent that company and commu- sponsibility for the conduct of the job fairs Consequences nity representatives were sharing actively in on a collateral duty basis. The mock job fairs have had several unex- an educational experience. pected results. Foremost perhaps has been Inmates have testified that pre-job fair Job Fairs by Reason their impact on the cooperating company re- training coupled with the interview experi- As of December 8, 1999, 47 federal prisons cruiters. Many of these entered a prison for ence increased their self-confidence and had held 70 mock job fairs. Over 3,000 fed- the first time to take part in a job fair, some- taught them the importance of preparing a eral prisoners and approximately 1000 com- times very reluctantly. They left impressed not resume and collecting and safeguarding edu- pany and service agency representatives have only with the professionalism of the staff and cational and work-experience transcripts, a participated. Many institutions have held the orderly appearance of the institution and social security card, a certified copy of a birth multiple job fairs and now schedule them its procedures, but also with the skilled labor certificate, and other documents critical to annually. The numbers in parentheses in the pool they found among the inmates they in- post-release employment. They learned that chart below indicate the total number of job terviewed. Education and community service having such documents in hand, preferably fairs held at each institution. Institutions such agency representatives also eagerly became arranged in an orderly employment portfo-

Regional Listing of BOP Job Fairs

Northeast Mid-Atlantic Southeast FCI Danbury (2) FMC Lexington (3) FCI Yazoo City (2) FCI Fort Dix FCI Petersburg FCI Marianna USP Lewisburg (Camp) (2) FCI Cumberland FCI Estill LSCI Allenwood (2) FPC Alderson FPC Coleman FPC Allenwood FCI Morgantown (2) FCI Talladega FCI Fairton FCI Elkton FCI Loretto FPC Seymour Johnson FCI Allenwood FCI Schuylkill Total: Job Fairs: 12 10 6 Institutions: 9 7 5

South Central North Central Western FCI Bastrop FCI Greenville (2) FCI Terminal Is. (2) FPC Bryan (2) FCI Pekin (2) FCI Tucson (2) FCI El Reno (5) FCI Oxford (2) FCI Phoenix (Camp) (2) FMC Fort Worth FCI Sandstone (3) FCI Safford FCI La Tuna FCI Florence (2) FCI Sheridan FCI Forrest City (3) FCI Waseca FCI Dublin FCI Big Spring FMC Rochester MDC Los Angeles FCC Beaumont (LOW) FDC SeaTac FDC Oakdale FPC Nellis MCC San Diego Total: Job Fairs: 16 13 13 Institutions: 9 7 10

Grand Total: Job Fairs: 70 Institutions: 47 16 FEDERAL PROBATION Volume 64 Number 1

lio, will expedite post-release job interviews inmates became more aware of community- It is still too early to evaluate the impact and actual employment. They came away based services and job opportunities. of all BOP inmate employment efforts, but from training aware that readying themselves Additional evaluations were made of job their consistent growth reflects a welcoming for a job will help them use their community fairs at FCI Terminal Island, California by El acceptance by participants. Approximately a corrections and probation time more effec- Camino College, at FCI Tucson by the Uni- dozen companies now provide job opening tively. They are encouraged to line up job in- versity of Arizona, and at FCI’s Phoenix and lists to be posted on federal prison bulletin terviews before their final days in prison, Big Spring by DSC. All found the same re- boards. And an increasing number of inmates rather than wait until they have been released sults reported by Dr. Tait: high ratings of the are preparing employment portfolios, in some to the community. event by all staff, inmate, and company par- cases assisted by local institution inmate em- Most important, their interviews with ticipants. All participants also indicated that ployment centers. These positive activities company recruiters have convinced them that they would be willing to participate in future contribute to a safer and more normal insti- many employers will seriously consider hir- job fairs, and many suggested that job fairs tution environment, regardless of their im- ing qualified released felons based on what be held more often than once a year. pact on recidivism. they observe, on an individual case-by-case Many variables, often invisible to the re- basis, during structured post-release inter- searcher, contribute to human behavior and Training Offender Employment views. Several companies have written to in- frustrate any outcome measurements. Suc- Placement Specialists mates interviewed during a job fair to remind cessful recidivism studies, for example, which The Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act them that the company is interested in their correlate prison programs with post-release of 1994 authorized the establishment of an particular qualifications and asking them to success, require the most rigorous research Office of Correctional Job Training and Place- apply to them for employment after release. standards, over extended periods of time, and ment (OCJTP). This new office was created Several companies have reported that they involve the commitment of major resources within the National Institute of Corrections have already hired inmates interviewed dur- not readily available for most corrections re- and was mandated to encourage and support ing job fairs.Others have probably done so search. In addition, there is a built-in diffi- job training and placement services for both also without reporting it. All these experiences culty in all corrections research, because ex- incarcerated and released offenders. encourage releasing inmates to prepare for a offenders’ fondest wish is to disconnect them- As early as 1995 the OCJTP initiated more orderly transition to their families and selves from any part of the criminal justice training programs for offender employment communities. system, particularly their former jailers. Cor- specialists (OES). These programs were de- The IPPB has made two videotapes of the relating inmate employment enhancement signed primarily for state and local correc- recent job fairs at FCI’s Terminal Island and programs with post-release outcomes, par- tions staff, whose job responsibilities included Yazoo City. Employers, community represen- ticularly recidivism, will not be easy. How- job placement of released offenders. Local tatives, and inmates eloquently express their ever, one result can be measured empirically, and state probation and parole, as well as appreciation of the job fair experience. War- and immediately. Efforts by corrections staff halfway house and work-release center staff, dens of both institutions describe the staff to initiate and implement inmate employ- were also eligible to apply for this training, enthusiasm for the program and highlight its ment assistance programs remind the men which took place at the NIC Academy in low cost. and women in prisons that they will be re- Longmont, Colorado. The staff of federal leased some day, and that programs are in corrections agencies were also eligible for par- Follow Up and Evaluation place to help them get ready for the transi- ticipation, but their expenses were not cov- A report evaluating the job fair at the Federal tion back to their families and their commu- ered by NIC. The week-long training cov- Prison Camp at Bryan, prepared by Dr. Jane nities. Most important, the available help in- ered: M. Tait of Development Systems Corporation cludes practical assistance in finding and (DCS), included the following comments: holding a job. The presence of company re- • Reintegration and Transition cruiters during prison job fairs—talking to the • Pre-Employment and Job Readiness Skill • On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 the lowest and inmates, evaluating their job interview skills 10 the highest, inmates rated the program at on an individual basis, and reassuring them • Job Development and Placement 9.7. that employers will hire qualified ex-felons— • Marketing • The program was rated a 9 by the staff. is a behavior-changing experience for most participating inmates. Posting job opening • Community Resources and Coordination • All employers responded yes to “would you lists is also clear evidence to both inmates and •Job Retention consider hiring ex-felons after the pilot expe- corrections staff that post-release employ- rience?” ment is a realistic goal for ex-offenders. The Participants generally came in in teams of • All respondents would participate in future message is unmistakable: Many significant two from across the entire United States and fairs. Respondents suggested they be held two people are serious about connecting the re- from such diverse agencies as state and fed- or three times a year. leased offender with a job, which everyone eral probation services, state departments of hopes will be the terminal point of the cor- labor, state and local departments of correc- The report concluded with the observa- rections experience. The kind of hope this tions, community correction centers, non- tion that inmates’ self-confidence and self- picture engenders may be the most cost-ef- profit groups that provided a wide range of esteem were developed and expanded as a fective option available to corrections man- services for released offenders, community result of participation in the job fair, and that agers and their community partners. and technical colleges, and county jails. IPPB June 2000 MOCK JOB FAIRS 17 staff have served as instructors focusing pri- of these. Correspondents provide a resume, JOBLINE, a job search by telephone. This marily on mock job fairs and the overall IPPB and then receive the names, addresses, and service was also developed under the auspices mission. telephone numbers of potential employers of the U.S. Department of Labor, at the re- These cooperative efforts with NIC in- in the area where they expect to be released. quest of the National Federation of the Blind spired the IPPB to initiate its own OES train- This information comes from a database con- (NFB), to permit visually impaired people to ing program aimed at the preparation of tained in the American Labor Market Infor- access the AJB. The use of the telephone rather BOP staff to assume offender employment mation System, (ALMIS), housed in five CD- than Internet to access jobs listed on AJB may program responsibilities. To date, four BOP ROM discs. IPPB staff are working with in- be a viable direct job search option for indi- training sessions of 30 trainees each have been stitutional staff to develop this capacity to re- vidual incarcerated offenders. The IPPB is completed and two more are planned for Fis- spond to inmate requests for job search as- actively exploring this alternative with the cal Year 2001. A special task group comprised sistance at the institutions where the inmates NFB and the DOL. of BOP staff who have completed OES train- are located. The ALMIS discs and training in One further effort to expand offender ing and have successfully conducted inmate their use are provided by IPPB staff. employment programs in all correctional sys- employment programs at their institutions Since no security risks are involved in the tems is directed to the education committee will be assembled during the week of April use of computer-based CD-ROM discs, some of the American Correctional Association 16, 2000 to review the BOP inmate employ- institutions are training inmates to provide (ACA). The committee is being asked by its ment program and to consider future direc- this service in newly created inmate employ- BOP member to recommend that ACA edu- tions. They will be assisted by education, em- ment resource centers. An employment re- cation policy be modified to place greater ployer and community agency representatives source center handbook is available from the emphasis on inmate employment programs. that have participated in past and current in- IPPB to guide local staff in the establishment mate employment programs. A group of BOP of these centers.. The Bottom Line wardens will also join the task group to share The BOP regards its inmate employment pro- their views about the program and its future. Future Plans gram as eminently successful. Inmates who This task group may be meeting at a critical The BOP inmate employment program can have gone through the program have devel- juncture in the growing sensitivity of politi- point to many accomplishments during its oped job application and interviewing skills cal leaders and the general public to the high short history. However, events are moving so as well as greater self-assurance as they learn cost of and to the need to con- fast in technology and in all segments of the that many companies will hire qualified ex- sider effective but less costly options. Cer- economy that each day presents new oppor- offenders. The partnerships formed with tainly changing inmates into taxpayers is a tunities to connect offenders with jobs more companies and community agencies have worthy goal. effectively. The IPPB is exploring two new forged a shared responsibility for the transi- such options to accomplish this. Inmates in tion of offenders into employment and more Clearinghouse Services six federal prisons—one in each of the BOP positive life-styles. Probation service staff have The IPPB, in collaboration with NIC’s six regions—are encouraged to prepare indi- expressed the importance of programs that OCJTP, the U.S. Department of Education’s vidual resumes which will be placed on increase inmate job readiness skills, since they Office of Correctional Education, the U.S. “Americas’s Job Bank”( AJB), an Internet realize how these skills contribute to positive Department of Labor, and the National In- employment service maintained by the U.S. post-release experiences. stitute of Justice, has undertaken to serve as a Department of Labor. Since prisoners are pro- However, the question that is always asked clearinghouse for information about inmate hibited from access to the Internet, they will about prison programs, including inmate employment programs. This collaboration put their resumes on discs and place them in employment enhancement programs, is includes regular meetings with representatives special mailing envelopes to be mailed to whether they reduce recidivism. We already from other government agencies to review VQUEST (a company under contract with the know from existing research that federal pris- and coordinate programs of mutual concern. BOP), which will then enter the resumes on oners who participate in substance abuse, aca- In addition to a wide distribution of the Mock AJB’s Internet web site (http.// demic and occupational education, and also Job Fair Handbook, the IPPB has provided on- www.ajb.dni.us). Interested companies will be prison industry employment and related pro- site and other assistance to both federal and able to respond directly to the inmates and grams return to prison at a significantly lower state prisons and local jails that planned to post-release interviews and related arrange- rate than those who do not participate. Com- hold job fairs and engaged in related inmate ments can then be made. This new program mon sense suggests that improving job search employment programs. Regional jails in Cali- began at the beginning of federal Fiscal Year and retention skills that result in early post- fornia, Maine, and West Virginia and state 2000, and will run for one year. Each of the release employment will further reduce the correctional institutions in Florida and Min- pilot federal prisons has adopted procedures recidivism rate. However, common sense nesota are among the non-bureau corrections to facilitate this new effort, and at the end of does not satisfy the many who have a stake in agencies that have held mock job fairs with the one-year trial period the program will be correctional programs. The BOP is trying to the assistance of the IPPB. evaluated to determine its future in the BOP. develop ways to respond to this interest in If the outcome is positive, the BOP will con- experiential data in cooperation with field Inmate Correspondence sider offering the opportunity to all exiting probation staff, who are in a unique posi- The IPPB also responds to letters from fed- federal prisoners at a modest cost—probably tion to measure the effectiveness of the job eral prisoners seeking individual job search about $5.00 per resume placement. fair participation segment of inmate em- assistance, and so far there have been over 700 A second pilot involves the possible use of ployment programs. 18 FEDERAL PROBATION Volume 64 Number 1

The majority of federal prisoners leave References Mock Job Fair Handbook . Federal Bureau of Pris- prison under the supervision of a proba- Harer, M.D., “Recidivism Among Federal Prison ons, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, tion authority. One way to examine how Releasees in 1987: A Preliminary Report.” Fed- DC, 2000. the job fair program affects recidivism eral Bureau of Prisons, Washington, DC, 1994. Ryan, T.A., “Inmate Placement Programs: An Ex- would be to track exiting inmates who have Inmate Placement Program, Report to Federal ploratory Study.” University of South Carolina, participated in job fairs to determine Prison Industries Board of Directors, Wash- College of Criminal Justice, Columbia, SC, whether or not the program has a positive ington, DC., May, 1998. 1997. impact on their success rates. Local pro- bation officers could be a critical source of McCollum, S. G., “Prison Job Fairs.”Journal of Ryan, T.A., “Job Retention of Offenders and Ex- this information. The desire to support the Correctional Education, Volume 49, Issue 2, Offenders: Review and Synthesis of the Litera- common-sense conclusion with experien- June 1998. California State University, San Ber- ture.” Ryan Associates, Inc., Lexington. SC, tial data led to a meeting in November 1999 nardino, CA. 1998. of representatives of the Federal Bureau of “Project Re-Enterprise: A Texas Program.” Pro- “Prison Job Fairs” Journal of Correctional Educa- Prisons and the Federal Corrections and gram Focus, National Institute of Justice, U.S. tion, Vol. 49, June 1998. California State Uni- Supervision Division (FCSD) of the Ad- Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 1996. versity, San Bernardino, California. ministrative Office of the United States Courts, the division which supervises fed- “It’s Our Business: A Corporate Symposium on “The Vital Connection: A Job” Corrections Today, eral probation. Participants explored ways Investment in Criminal Justice Solutions.” October 1999, American Correctional Asso- of tracking the post-release experience of National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department ciation, Lanham, Maryland. inmates who participated in job fairs to de- of Justice, Austin, Texas, September 30-Octo- Workbooks and curriculum materials, Training for termine if such participation reduces re- ber 1, 1996. Offender Employment Specialists, Course #97- cidivism. Tait, J.M., “Summary Report and Evaluation 1301. National Institute of Corrections Acad- Further discussions are anticipated, and we Study, Pilot Study: Project Re-Enterprise.” De- emy, Longmont, CO, 1997. hope to jointly design a follow-up research plan velopment Systems Corporation, San Antonio, to test the positive results of this important new “Project Re-Enterprise: A Texas Program.” Pro- TX, 1997. correctional effort. In the meantime, the BOP gram Focus, National Institute of Justice, U.S. plans to continue its many-faceted offender Campie, P.E., “Mock Job Report and Evaluation.” Department of Justice, Washington, DC, 1996. employment program and to pursue new and University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, Septem- expanding options. ber, 1998.

Caswell, C., “Summary Report and Evaluation, First Annual Mock Job Fair.” El Camino Col- lege, Torrance, CA, December, 1998.