May is graduation season. No offense to the high schools and colleges that said goodbye to their students, but for graduates of one particular and very small program, the stakes are a lot higher than which beach to spend the next few months at.
For 22 men at Rhode Island's Adult Correctional Institutions, May 11 was literally the beginning of a new life. That is when they earned a diploma from a Roger Williams University program called Pivot the Hustle. The adult-learning classes are designed to provide workforce preparation for minimum-security inmates in work release.
The state says that in 2015, it processed releases for 3,397 inmates, nearly all of whom remained in Rhode Island. At the same time, the U.S. government estimates that in 2016, roughly 3,000 released ex-offenders will return to the Ocean State. The question is, what will they all do once they are here?
The issue goes beyond one of public safety. In a state whose population is stagnant and which is not supplying the workforce necessary to sustain businesses operating here, much less support growth, there is no question these men need to find jobs. And the better the jobs are, the better for everyone. A federal study estimates that ex-offenders earn an estimated 40 percent less after release than prior to serving time.
Roger Williams is to be commended for its efforts on behalf of this population. And the state has established three tax incentives to help businesses train these and other workers. Now it's up to society to accept that they have paid their debt and deserve a chance to start anew. •