Special Populations

• Inmates & Ex-Offenders
• Foreign-Born Workers

In Baltimore and across the United States, two population groups experience chronically low employment rates and low lifetime earnings levels: young people aged 16-24 who are both out of school and out of work ("at-risk youth") and former prison inmates who return to the community. An additional population, foreign-born workers, offers particular promise for growth and revitalization in the Baltimore area.

JOTF focuses on these "special populations" because distinct and large numbers of individuals continue to be added to them each year in the Baltimore area; high social and economic costs are imposed on them, their families, their communities, and the region; and we do not yet implement adequate preventive and remedial measures to help them realize their full economic potential.

Inmates and Ex-Offenders

Approximately 9,000 inmates from Maryland's correctional institutions return to Baltimore City each year, and about 7,500 return to the surrounding counties. At the time of their incarceration, 20% of inmates read at less than a third-grade level, and approximately 75% of ex-offenders are high school dropouts. Most have little or no mainstream work experience.

JOTF supports increased education, vocational, and transitional services within correctional institutions and in the community. Our goal is to help public agencies and human service organizations prepare offenders to lead stable and productive lives following their release.

Education/vocational programs for Maryland's inmates: Research conducted in Maryland and other states shows that inmates who receive education and job training services while incarcerated are less likely to return to prison after they are released.

In January 2002, the JOTF surveyed educational and vocational programs for inmates in Maryland's correctional facilities. We found that educational and vocational programs in Maryland's correctional institutions can accommodate only a fraction of inmates in the state's prisons. Using this information, the JOTF wrote to the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor to request state funding for 40 additional correctional education instructors.

In the 2003 Maryland legislative session, we advocated for a bill that would have reduced the waiting list for inmates to receive education services. We also supported efforts on the part of Baltimore City to establish a work release program at Baltimore City Detention Center.

We continue to advocate for increased education and job training opportunities for Maryland's inmates.

Community Resources for Transitioning Offenders: After release, employment is critical to ex-offenders' successful reintegration, but they often face employer reluctance and industry restrictions on hiring individuals with criminal backgrounds. Joblessness among ex-offenders in the Baltimore region is estimated at approximately 50%, and recidivism within the first three years after release ranges from 45% - 65%. Many ex-offenders are non-custodial parents who have accumulated vast debt associated with child support arrearages.

Services that are effective in helping ex-offenders prepare for, find, and retain employment need to be greatly expanded. JOTF supports efforts to reduce the impact criminal records have on employment opportunities, and to reduce the deterrent effect child support arrearages have on mainstream employment.

In 2002, with funding from the Enterprise Foundation, the JOTF partnered with United Way of Central Maryland to update First Call for Help, an electronic database of human service agencies and community resources in Maryland. The JOTF expanded the database by contributing information on more than sixty organizations in the Baltimore region that provide employment, shelter, substance abuse treatment, legal advocacy, and health care services to ex-offenders.

The JOTF worked to make this information available to service providers participating in the Maryland Re-Entry Partnership, an initiative launched by the Enterprise Foundation, the Maryland Division of Correction, and others to help Baltimore's ex-prisoners make a smooth transition from incarceration back into their communities.

Baltimore Transitional Jobs Project: JOTF serves on the steering committee of and is the fiscal agent for the Baltimore Transitional Jobs Project, a public-private effort to design a program that provides subsidized employment and support services to 100 ex-offenders returning to communities in Baltimore City.

• Read more about the Baltimore Transitional Jobs Project.

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Foreign-Born Workers

Immigrants are an emerging population in Baltimore and throughout Maryland. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census reveal that more than one in ten Maryland residents are foreign-born, and over one in three of these new Americans live in the Baltimore region.

A December 2002 report published by the Abell Foundation suggests that attraction of immigrants is one method of revitalizing local economies, stabilizing communities, and reversing the decline in Baltimore City 's population. To achieve these outcomes, employers, service providers, public agencies, and other stakeholders must work collaboratively and ensure that the workforce needs of this population are adequately met.

In 2003 JOTF participated in the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride, a national campaign for the rights of foreign-born workers.

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