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THE PROBLEM
Recidivism is a significant issue nationwide that needs to be addressed. To tackle this problem MJP believes that we need to level the employment playing field. Everyond should have equal opportunity, criminal record or not.
OUR SOLUTION
The Maryland Justice Project aims to educate and informe both ex-offenders and employers about relevant legislation, their rights and responsibilities, and the positive impact that advocating for social justice can have on our community. In collaboration with our community partners, MJP is launching and leading the expansion of the “Ban the Box” initiative by engaging in a city-wide outreach & education campaign. Our role will to be to serve as the point organization on the initiative. We are creating and crafting messaging campaigns that we believe will resonate with both employers and job seekers, as well as creating and managing a comprehensive and inclusive education effort. Our goal is to increase the ex-offender workforce in Baltimore, Maryland by ten percent within the next year.
To be effective in this endeavor, our goals are the following:
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Educate and enlighten 500 ex-offenders and business personnel about the current laws regarding hiring ex-offenders within the next year.
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Create a fully functioning mobile application by January 2017 designed to link ex-offenders to employment opportunities by providing readily available information.
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Create a database with employment statistics, including real-time changes in unemployment rates in consequence of legislation, that can be utilized to promote further initiatives aimed at leveling the playing field for ex-offenders.
OUR PLAN
In order to achieve our first goal of educating mass numbers of individuals, Maryland Justice Project is visiting transitional houses, homeless shelters, and correctional facilities, as well as organizing community forums. We are drawing on various media platforms to generate attention for the multitude of challenges people with criminal records face in accessing employment opportunities. Notably, MJP is working towards the launch of a stand-alone website that will serve as a source of information for employers, service providers, impacted citizens, legislators and members of the media. It will feature a well-developed FAQ section, talking points sheets, and resources for both employers and job applicants. Additionally, the website will host quarterly webinars that will provide updated information on the legal responsibilities of employers to implement these changes as well as feature employers speaking on how this change has affected the culture of their organizations.
In order to achieve the second goal of creating a fully functional mobile application, MJP will hire a programmer to create it. The final product will be a free application that will provide ex-offenders a simple way to get involved with and advocate for legislation dealing with their hiring process.
To create the database of statistics that is vital for initiative promotion and self-assessment, MJP will take two different approaches. The first approach consists of MJP volunteers personally interviewing ex-offenders at its own seminars and informational meetings. The second approach involves creating a mutually beneficial partnership with both One Stop Career Centers and the Good Will Industries of the Chesapeake in order to access their extensive databases on employment statistics.
BECOME AN AGENT OF SOCIAL CHANGE
To achieve our goals we need the support of our community! Contribute to our cuase by contributing towards the costs of outreach, communication and IT development.
TOGETHER WE CAN AFFECT LASTING CHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITY!