‘It takes a village’: Job fair helps formerly incarcerated people find work

Martin University hosted a job fair Thursday to help formerly incarcerated people find employment. The university partnered with the Indiana Department of Correction to provide more than 45 resource vendors to people reentering the workforce after incarceration.

Job fair attendee James Walker was incarcerated last year and he has not been able to find employment, even with a college degree.

“You know they'll give me the position because I'm qualified, and then they'll run the background and be like, ‘Sorry, we can't,'” Walker said.

Lee Standberry is an employment coach with Public Advocates in Community Re-Entry or PACE Indy. He said many employers are not willing to give individuals an opportunity and to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society.

“They want to be successful just like everybody else,” Standberry said “They want to have a nice job.They want to have a nice house. They want to raise some kids. That's all they want.”

Walker encourages other recently released offenders to persevere.

“Keep pushing,” Walker said. “Stay positive. Show up to job fairs. Put in the application. You just gotta get out there and get it.”

In 2021, the recidivism rate in Marion County was about 46 percent, while statewide the rate was about 34 percent. The IDOC defines recidivism as “an offender’s return to incarceration within three years of their release date from a state correctional institution.”

According to the IDOC, when a previous offender remains unemployed, the recidivism rate increases to 60 percent.

Molly Bennett, a regional director of IDOC’s HIRE program, said the job fair can empower recently incarcerated people by informing them of opportunities in their communities.

“While our main goal is employment, it takes a village for our clients to be successful,” she said.

The Hoosier Initiative for Re-Entry, or HIRE program was created in 2012 by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The program was moved to the IDOC in 2019 and continued to focus on assisting people with past involvement in the criminal justice system.

Jason Hochstedler was one of HIRE’s first clients. He was incarcerated 12 years ago, and now he works with the organization as a coordinator.

“The resources are here,” Hochstedler said. "They're abundant, but you gotta want it.”

The job fair offered a variety of employment opportunities with organizations like Goodwill and IndyGo and a range of salaries based on experience and skills. 

For more information on the HIRE program and its resources for reentry assistance, visit the Indiana Department of Correction’s website or reach out to HIRE@IDOC.in.gov.