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Guest Editorial Fair Chance Pledge, stating that Once they have entered the
Continued from page 5
“Around 70 million Americans reentry program, their résumé
have some sort of criminal is there, ready for use in the
record… Now, oftentimes, that state’s workforce system.
There are multiple ways to record disqualifies you from These portals promote col-
manage the security threat that being a full participant in our laboration among staff and case
comes along with allowing society—even if they’ve already managers, who can remotely
access to the internet, which paid their debt to society. It track job-seeker activity and
includes restricting access to means millions of Americans assist with various features of
prohibited websites and illegal have difficulty even getting the system. This is particularly
communications. With a few their foot in the door to try to beneficial in times like the
modifications to the state’s get a job, much less actually COVID-19 pandemic, when in-
workforce system, inmates hang on to that job. That’s bad person visits are prohibited.
can take advantage of all the for not only those individuals, Time served should not bar
functionality job seekers on the but it’s also bad for our econ- any individual from taking
outside enjoy. They can build omy. It’s bad for the communi- advantage of opportunity—any
résumés, take skills assess- ties that desperately need more opportunity to create stability,
ments, conduct labor market role models who are gainfully post release. 
research, and yes, apply for employed. So, we have got
jobs and communicate directly to make sure Americans who
with employers—albeit under have paid their debt to society
staff member supervision. can earn their second chance.” Deane Toler has more than 20
years of experience promot-
These sites can be modi- Fair Chance employers (aka ing, developing, and delivering
fied so that access to any other Second Chance employers) will new technologies within service
outside website is prohibited, have an opportunity to desig- industries, including corrections,
education and government. At
and staff have control over the nate their organization as such, Geographic Solutions, his respon-
application process. They can within these portals. They can sibilities include business devel-
also control communications also flag postings as “Second opment, strategic partnerships,
between inmates and potential Chance” jobs, which will be and overseeing the Marketing
employers, and when the job highlighted/recognized in a job and Sales Teams. In addition, he
serves as the development and
seeker is released from cus- seekers search results list. implementation liaison of work-
tody, there is a “warm hand- force development systems in the
off” to the full, unrestricted Inmate Profiles western United States. He can be
state portal. Which means that Inmates also have the oppor- reached at dtoler@geosolinc.com.
all the pre-release legwork tunity to have their employ- Richard Boone is a Business
they’ve done while incarcer- ment-related activity tracked Development Executive for
ated—creating résumés, taking early in their sentence. Profiles Geographic Solutions, focusing on
part in skills assessments, and can be created at the beginning workforce solutions in the correc-
tions and community supervision
applying for jobs—carries over of their incarceration, which markets. He works directly with
with them to the state labor allows them to track jobs they state departments of correction,
exchange site. have performed for prison county jails, and county commu-
Some of these systems industries, certifications they nity corrections offices, as well as
reentry program providers. He can
include features that can benefit have obtained, courses they be reached at rboone@geographic
justice-involved job seekers, have taken, and commenda- solutions.com.
specifically. In 2015, President tions they have been awarded.
Barack Obama launched the All this information will be
reflected in their résumés long
before they transition out of the
facility and back into society.

72 | JULY | AUGUST 2021 AMERICANJails