Helping Pretrial Services Clients Find Jobs

• NCJ Number: 154281
• Journal: Federal Probation Volume: 59 Issue: 1 Dated: (March 1995) Pages: 14-17
• Author(s): J M Peoples
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 4 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This article is based on the author's in-district report prepared as part of the Federal Judicial Center's Leadership Development Program.

Annotation

This article focuses on how the pretrial services office in the Northern District of California addressed the issue of unemployment among its clients by launching a special project to identify employers willing to hire defendants; the other goal of the project was to develop an employment resource manual to help defendants find jobs or training programs.

Abstract

The first step in initiating the project was to develop a letter to send to prospective employers in the community. This letter was designed primarily to identify employers willing to hire defendants and to have them place the pretrial services office on their mailing lists for notification of job vacancies. Twenty-five percent of employers responded. An employment committee was formed to contact key employers and agency heads to address any problems or concerns that arise during the employment referral process. The employment committee handles the screening of clients to help avoid sending unqualified and unmotivated individuals to prospective employers. The next step in the project was to develop an employment resource manual that lists additional agencies that would help pretrial services clients find job or training programs. After the project had been operating for 3 months, a questionnaire was distributed to officers to help measure project effectiveness. The questionnaires showed that, from July through September 1994, pretrial services officers supervised 57 unemployed clients. Of these individuals, nine found jobs through the resources of the project. Although the number of clients who found employment is not particularly impressive, a significant finding is that 25 of the unemployed individuals used the job announcements and manual as resources for employment and training. The project has found a need to re-educate employers and the public about the contributions defendants can make to the employment world and to society in general. 10 references