Policy Corner
Over 1 million Ohioans with criminal records are eligible to have their records sealed: What are we waiting for?
Published July 2024 in Policy Pulse, A Towards Employment Newsletter Article written by guest author Patrick Higgins The Getting Rehabilitated Ohioans Working (“GROW”) Act, House Bill 460, is a legislative solution to an issue that is widespread throughout Ohio: the pervasiveness of criminal records long after a person has served whatever penalty was imposed for…
Read MoreReal-Time Takes: GROW Act – Collateral Sanctions: Record Sealing
For nearly a decade, Jane Doe made “bad decisions, with bad people, in bad places”. She was convicted with a total of three fifth (5th) degree felony charges for Drug Possession and one third (3rd) degree felony for Failure to Comply. Her offenses spanned three different counties: Cuyahoga (2015), Lake (2017) and Richland (2018). Jane Doe completed each of her sentences: nine months in prison and multiple years of community control sanction; along with a suspended driver’s license and the various fees and fines associated with her cases.
Read MoreReal-Time Takes: STARs – Success Stories Despite the Odds
Did you know that if you are at least 25, have a high-school diploma but not a four-year degree, and are currently active in the workforce, you are a STAR (Skilled Through Alternative Routes)?
Although over 50% of the workforce are STARs (more than 70 million people), the job market deliberately prioritizes and rewards those with degrees.1 Opportunity@Work, in partnership with the Ad Council, launched ‘Tear the Paper Ceiling’, a campaign dedicated to advancing opportunities for STARs. Their research finds that while 67% of job descriptions require a four-year degree, only 30% of positions truly need a degree.2 Despite the need for qualified workers, employers continue to prefer and demand candidates with four-year degrees over STARs with relevant experience and knowledge.
Read MoreOpportunity@Work Awards $2 Million to Organizations Accelerating Economic Mobility for Workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs)
NEWS PROVIDED BY Opportunity@Work Jun 25, 2024, 09:00 ET Read the full article at PR Newswire National nonprofit’s latest grant program recognizes eight training and talent development providers committed to helping STARs access career opportunities in high-growth fields WASHINGTON, June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — National economic mobility nonprofit Opportunity@Work today announced eight recipients of its Powering…
Read MoreAbout Senate Bill 37
About SB37 Senate Bill 37 removes the ability to suspend a person’s license for non-driving related issues, such as unpaid parking tickets, therefore removing the barrier to employment for millions of hard-working Ohioans and businesses that employ them. Ohio sees roughly 3 million license suspensions per year with over 60% of these being for debt-related…
Read MoreReal-Time Takes: Expungements – Coming Soon!
Real-Time Takes A Policy Blogcast Expungements COMING SOON! On April 4, 2023, Ohio Senate Bill 288 went into effect which expands the eligibility for expunging or sealing criminal records and shortens waiting periods for filing a petition with the court. The following offenses cannot be expunged or sealed: 1st or 2nd degree felonies 3…
Read MoreReal-Time Takes: Second Sentence
A recent New York Times article delved into a devastating fact: over 60 percent of those leaving prison in the United States are unemployed a year later. While prejudice against returning citizens is hardly a thing of the past, recent polling suggests that the majority of Americans believe that people who have been convicted of crimes deserve a second chance.1
A major reason for the disconnect between the facts on the ground and public opinion is something that experts who work with reentering citizens call “collateral consequences.” These are the legally imposed barriers that those who have served their time face, hurdles that I have come to view as a second sentence.
Read MoreReal-Time Takes: Job Quality
When I ask my kids if they like their job, the first thing they mention is how much it pays – or does not pay. But whatever the pay scale and fringe benefits, the conversation soon turns to the quality of their job.
It turns out that most Americans agree that the quality of their job has a strong impact on their quality life.1
Covid put pressure on everybody at work and 40 percent of Americans working in 2020 experienced a decline in the quality of their jobs.2
Read MorePolicy Corner: Voting With A Record
Voting with a criminal record There is a lot of misinformation out there. Be sure to know your rights. You are eligible to vote as long as you are not incarcerated in jail or prison for a felony conviction. That means, if you are in a half-way house, on probation or parole, on some sort…
Read MorePolicy Corner: June 2020
Policy Corner: We are following the following issues in the statehouse: Fines and fees related to driver’s license reinstatement Legislative Win! HB 285 has passed in the Ohio House and Senate! HB 285 will make permanent the Driver’s License Reinstatement Fee Debt Reduction and Amnesty Program. This is an important policy for Towards Employment participants.…
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