U.S. Department of Labor Announces Additional Funding for 18 Organizations to Help Former Offenders Gain Jobs

On April 28th, 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that about $7.2 million in funding has been distributed among 18 different third-generation grantee organizations. This funding will support programs that assist former offenders return from incarceration, integrate into their communities and gain job skills. Three years after many offenders have been released from prison, 60% will be charged with a new crime, and 66% of those charged will return to prison. The U.S. Department of Labor aims to decrease these statistics by supporting the integration of former offenders into their communities and the workforce.