Richmond City Sheriff's Office Enhanced Vocational Training, Career Planning and Job Placement Program

Problem, Target Area, & Population: 

When /returning citizens leave the Richmond City Justice Center and return to the Richmond City community, they return to an impoverished community characterized by high crime rates and uncertain economic conditions. These returning citizens are at high risk of becoming homeless and unemployed while not receiving the adequate services to address their many needs. Sherriff Antionette V. Irving has prioritized providing a comprehensive service menu to residents in the RCJC. Job readiness and employability are among the service offering components Sheriff Irving wishes to augment in order to reduce recidivism and give returning citizens the greatest chance of success upon reentry.

The average daily population at the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) went from approximately 720 in calendar year 2019 to 698 in calendar year 2020.

Goal: 

The RCSO intention is to be a leader in correctional in reentry services informed by the local labor market by focusing on job readiness, employment, and transitional services, while reducing recidivism and increasing public safety.

Objective(s):

The RCSO intends to foster a more comprehensive approach to job readiness and employment services by enhancing the job readiness screening process,  and by partnering with community employers, workforce development agencies, and other service agencies to enhance and expand its current service menu to include a career planning program and a subsidized employment program, supplemented with transitional services for those reentering the community.

Program/Strategy:

Form a planning committee consisting of educational staff and partners in addition to workforce development partners to develop career planning curriculum
 Form a planning committee consisting of reentry staff, probation & parole, workforce development partners, and other key stakeholders to develop logistics of subsidized employment program
Ensure appropriate staff are trained on job readiness screening tool
Ensure appropriate staff and third party partners are appropriately trained on career planning best practices
Meet regularly and plan for scheduled, periodic reviews of policy, procedure, program offerings and labor market
Tailor programming based on findings in periodic reviews

Partnerships:

The agencies identified by the RCSO include but are not limited to Goodwill, Community College Workforce Alliance/John Tyler, Richmond Public Schools, LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America, Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS), SOAR-365, and Opportunity. Alliance. Reentry (OAR).

Anticipated Outcomes:

Reduced recidivism amongst the target population participating in program
Increase in the employment rate of program participants
Increase in the enrollment in Career Planning and Subsidized Employment Programs
Increase in the enrollment in vocational training programs among program participants
Expand job readiness assessments and individualized case planning
Increase in the number of target population who have obtained housing and transitional support services