As part of the Aspen Institute’s collaboration with Slack on our Rework Reentry initiative, the Aspen Institute Criminal Justice Reform Initiative hosted a panel at the inaugural meeting of its Aspen Justice Network – a convening of participants from Birmingham (AL), Grand Rapids (MI), and rural South Carolina who are engaged in CJRI’s Justice and Governance Partnerships.
Speakers on the Strategies for Supporting Employment for Returning Persons in Communities panel included Kenyatta Leal, Executive Director of the Next Chapter Project; Natrina Gandana, Sr. Program Manager at Slack for Good; and Colorado Attorney General Philip J. Weiser. The panel was moderated by Dr. Douglas E. Wood, Director of the Criminal Justice Reform Initiative at the Aspen Institute.
Panelists discussed strategies to support employment for returning persons, at the community and employer level, as well as state level policies that can aid, or frustrate, employment for community members returning from incarceration. Innovative programs such as Colorado’s Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, Slack for Good, and the Next Chapter Project were discussed.
