Running Head: CAREER RESOURCE CENTER1

Running head: CAREER RESOURCE CENTER1

Career Resource Center- an Outline for Ex-offenders

Joan A. Way

PCN 525-0500 Career Development and Counseling

Darius Cooper

17 January 2018

There are a significant number of prisoners who were released back into society who are looking to live a positive life and contribute to society in a more positive way than they did before prison. The problem is they face stigmatism when it comes to finding employment and re-entering society in a positive way. “Each year, more than 600,000 adults are released from prison in the United States. Hall of themreturn home to a child under the age of 18.” (Bartkowiak, 2015). Providing for a family after incarceration,having a criminal record can be a big stumbling block in the life of the ex-offender. It can be nearly impossible for formerly incarcerated parents to employment and even a place to reside.

There are resources that can help these former prisoners to acquire skills that would assist them in gaining employment and being positive contributors to their community.

Employee evaluation process

a)Step one will be to talk with the former prisoner to gather information on how they intend to move forward and work on their future goals. Opening a dialogue strengthens the relationship with the former prisoner and the counselor thus enabling the counselor to assess their needs and help them to formulate their goals.

b)Evaluate the mental and emotional status of the former prisoner.

Explore the following areas:

Has the former prisoner made any long term plans in the future?
Their educational qualifications
Their areas of interest
Their long term goals in terms of employment and how they intend to give back to the community.
What other useful skills does the prisoner has that would help in the transition.
The financial status of the former prisoner and their expected remuneration for the services they intend to offer.
How is the relationship with their family now that they are back in society
Communicating with the parole officer in charge, if any, to evaluate the likelihood of the ex-offender committing a crime again.

Evaluate whether the ex- offender has the following characteristics:

Does the ex-offender has feelings of failure and hopelessness? - Some feel that there is nothing or very little they can do to change their current lifestyles.
Does the ex-offender feel alienated from the mainstream institutions? -Some may have had negative experiences with schools, hospitals, the police, lawyers and welfare organizations. They may feel ignored or disrespected and may even to be treated with contempt and hostility.
Is the ex-offender cynical and with signs of manipulating the system? - Some dwell on finding ways of finding the weakness in the system and therefore use it to their advantage.
The level of the ex-offender’s education. This is necessary since the ex offender may be a minor who did poorly in school and may therefore have the opportunity to be trained on important work skills so as to fit in the job market.
Does the ex-offender show a high rate of attention deficit, hyper active disorder or other learning disabilities? - If such problems are present and have not been addressed properly, they lead to further skills deficit.
Were the education, mental and social problems addressed during the time he/she was incarcerated? This is necessary for those who may need counselingprior to seeking employment.

Gathering important information about the former prisoner

The following step is to gather in case of a medical emergency or a crisis that may occur when he/she is carrying out duties provided.

a)Social security

b)Medicaid

c)Medicare

d)A list of insurance plans if any

e)Medical history

f)Medication and dosages if any

g)Legal papers such as a will

h)Drivers license

i)Passport number

j)Birth certificate

k)People to be contacted in case of an emergency

l)Their address

Compile a resume to develop an appropriate career plan

This will contain all the necessary information of the potential employee including the education level and skills acquired
List all the training the potential employee may have acquired in and out of the prison.
List any volunteer work the ex-offender has been involved in if any

Such work includes volunteering to educate young adults on the difficulties of prison life and how crime will affect their lives negatively.
Involvement in halfway projects for other reformed ex-offenders.

List the potential employees that are likely to require the services of the ex-offender without discrimination

Job offer and training

Once the evaluation is over and the ex offenders needs and skills have properly been assessed, it is time to determine whether the ex-offender will require to go through a training program first or if he or she possesses the required skills, and therefore being offered an opportunity to work in the appropriate field.

Assign the appropriate job to the ex-offender and recommend him or her to the potential employer.
Prepare the necessary paper work needed as a sign of commitment
Assign a supervisor to those who are put on a probation.
Assign a professional to train those who require extra skills before going in to employment.
Monitor those who have been assisted with finding employment and evaluate how the services worked.

Reference List

Guerra, J. (2015) Former inmates give advice to those just getting out of prison

Bartkowiak, B. (2015) Thinking outside the box for families after prison.

Curry, J., & Milsom, A. (2014). Career counseling in P-12 schools.

Rajan, Y. S. (2003). Choosing career paths. New Delhi: Science for Knowledge Society.

Coetzee, M., & Roythorne-Jacobs, H. L. (2007). Career counseling and guidance in the workplace: A manual for career practitioners. Cape Town, South Africa: Juta.

Hastie, A., & Stephenson, A. (2008). Choosing General Practice: Your Career Guide. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.