Better People

This organization is a non-​profit who provides two basic functions. They act as an employment agency for felons who go through their program of group sessions. Its a quid pro quo. Their literature states that if the felon goes to one of their classes, they are eligible to be sent on a temporary assignment. And if the felon continues in the program, at a certain point they are eligible for extensive (20 hours if I remember right) resume and job hunt training as well as being sent to job interviews for more permanent positions. Their employer partners are aware that the interviewee has a criminal record. This «foot in the door» is a huge opportunity for a felon seeking a job in this market.
The premise of the program is solid. Not only does it help felons rehabilitate through its variant of cognitive behavior therapy, it also helps these offenders get stable with jobs. An important part of reducing recidivism.
They promise to not only provide better employees — but better people.
That’s the premise… now the reality. The first thing to understand is that the «better people» they refer to is really themselves. I went to the orientation meeting and was shocked by the smug superior attitude of the instructor as well as the unprofessionalism. The presenter went off on a irrelevant personal tangent about the vote on fluoridated water. She also presented the core of the program a series of moral steps or levels. She announced, quite proudly, that their program had developed this innovative moral stages. She seemed quite oblivious that it blatantly plagiarized Kohlberg’s stages of moral development (a very basic and prominent psychological construct). Either she was lying, or she was clueless. Neither was a good sign.
But I wanted a job, and I can certainly deal with a little smug self-​righteousness. Especially with the mistakes of my past — who am I to judge?
However, when I called later to inquire about the temporary job lead that the literature mentioned… they had no idea what I was talking about. It was on their website; it was on their physical literature. But they had no clue. I explained what their stated and they promised that I would get a call back from a job specialist. I did receive a call back from a polite woman who suggested that I try day labor. I asked if they had a special arrangement with a specific day labor agency. Nope, they weren’t really offering anything more than a suggestion that I try day labor. Wait a minute, I had to attend their program (and pay $ 35 for the program book) in order to be «eligible» to walk into a day labor place? Bogus and definitely a broken promise.
I went to a couple more group sessions. The smug self-​righteousness continued with yet another presenter. Before one of the classes, while waiting for the instructor to arrive, I asked other attendees how long they had been there and had they received any job leads. I was shocked to discover that some of them had been there well over 6 months, and none of them had received a legitimate job lead.
It became apparent that most of the people attending the classes were assigned there by probation officers. And didn’t care about actually finding a job.
It was equally obvious that the program was used to this and were far more focused on the classes than the difficult work of finding employer partners. They consider their «clients» to be a morally retarded population that does not deserve keeping promises to. After all, who are the «better people»?
If your PO sends you here, fine. If you’re just looking for some in-​depth resume help, fine. If you’re looking for the program to deliver its half of the bargain and you’re looking for legitimate job leads, so sorry friend.