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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Bill
Thomas |
State Rep. Cherelle
Parker |
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Parker introduces measure to help nonviolent ex-offenders get jobs
Phila. lawmaker says recidivism is partly caused by lack of adequate employment options
PHILADELPHIA, April 24 – State Rep. Cherelle L. Parker, D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would address the issue of the increasingly high rates of unemployment for nonviolent ex-offenders. Parker said that ex-offenders face a variety of challenges when they return to their communities, the most significant being re-entry into the employment market.
Parker said the measure she introduced (H.B. 1114) would seek to utilize and expand the benefits of the state’s current job creation tax credit program to provide employers with an additional $500 tax credit per job created for each employee who is a nonviolent ex-offender.
“Meaningful employment is one of the most important elements to an ex-offender’s ability to avoid the cycle of crime,” Parker said. “Statistics show that 85 percent of those who are released from prison and have a job when they get back to their communities, and maintain that job during their supervised released time, do not return to jail.”
Parker said many nonviolent ex-offenders face serious barriers when seeking gainful employment when they leave jail, primarily regarding to low educational achievement, lack of experience in acquiring and keeping a job, and previous substance abuse issues. Through this measure, Parker said businesses would be encouraged to hire ex-offenders, providing them with an alternative to crime and promote the spirit of self-sufficiency.
“I believe that one of the keys to fighting crime is to find ways to encourage businesses to hire and train ex-offenders,” Parker said. “This will not only reduce the increasingly high cost and rising population of inmate incarceration but will help to grow and maintain vibrant communities not only here in Philadelphia, but throughout the Commonwealth.”
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