Philly Urban League launches reentry program for the formerly incarcerated

PHILADELPHIA — A new initiative aims to help formerly incarcerated individuals transition back into the community and secure employment.

The Urban League of Philadelphia has launched Out4Good, a four-week comprehensive program that offers skills development, workforce readiness, job training and placement for people with criminal records.

The effort comes as African Americans represent nearly 37% of those incarcerated in Pennsylvania. There are more than 170,000 individuals currently on probation and 45,000 incarcerated in state prisons, according to a Brookings report. Nearly 50% of returning citizens have no form of employment in the first year following their release from prison and the average annual earnings of those employed is less than $11,000.

“We cannot turn our back to the number of brothers that are coming out and have paid their dues and not give them an opportunity to come back as a citizen, come back in a meaningful way and come back with a meaningful job,” said Andrea Custis, president and CEO of the ULP.

Read more: https://www.penncapital-star.com/civil-rights-social-justice/philly-urban-league-launches-reentry-program-for-the-formerly-incarcerated/