JOB OPPORTUNITIES TASK FORCE

Advocating better skills, jobs, and incomes

TO: Hon. Brian E. Frosh, Chair, and members of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee

FROM: Kevin Griffin Moreno, Senior Policy Advocate/Communications Director

DATE:             January 25, 2006

The Job Opportunities Task Force (JOTF) is an independent, nonprofit organization that promotes improved economic opportunities for low-income workers, in particular job-seekers who are returning to society from prison. JOTF strongly supports SB 114, which would permit Maryland Correctional Enterprises (MCE) to establish a construction training program for inmates.

Approximately 12,000 prisoners are released from incarceration each year. Many have little or no mainstream work experience, and most read at or below a third grade reading level when they entered prison. Without proper training and job placement assistance, these Marylanders run a high risk of slipping through the cracks and returning to prison.

By authorizing the provision of vital occupational skills training in the building trades industry, SB 114 would help prepare inmates for release and greatly enhance their employability “outside the fence.”

Construction is a growth industry sector in the Baltimore region and throughout Maryland. It is also a field which is more receptive than other sectors to job seekers with criminal history records. The building trades offer opportunities for career advancement and economic gain.

The scope of construction activities undertaken by MCE would be limited to projects behind prison walls. These projects would be subject to approval by both the Secretary of Public Safety and the Maryland Division of Capital Construction. MCE would not be in competition with private sector contractors.

By passing SB 114, the legislature would be making an investment not only in the economic well-being of ex-prisoners, but in the economic vitality of the communities to which they return. We urge a favorable report.