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Pre-employment Inquiries
Bonding Program
The Washington Bonding Program provides, at no cost to the employer or applicant,
individual fidelity bonds to employers for applicants who are, or may
be, denied coverage by commercial carriers because of their at-risk
status. The fidelity bonds issued by the WBP function as an employer
job-hire incentive.
U.S. Pretrial and Probation Workforce
Development for Western Washington
The
Workforce Development Website for the Western District of Washington
is a self-directed resource for Federal Pretrial and Probation clients.
The services are dedicated in providing career assistance for
individuals with criminal histories to obtain meaningful employment
which in turn, improves the likelihood of job retention that reduces the
rate of recidivism. Find region-specific resources and events to
address barriers and other obstacles to achieving gainful employment.
AARP Foundation WorkSearch
AARP
Foundation WorkSearch offers free employment and training services
to older workers 55+ who meet residential and income eligibility.
Individuals with a felony conviction are welcome to call and inquiry
about enrollment. There are two Project Sites in Washington:
Seattle (206-624-6698) and Spokane (509-325-7712). The Seattle
site primarily operates in King and Snohomish Counties while the Spokane
Site offers services throughout Eastern Washington.
If eligible, participants are assigned to community
service at a local nonprofit for 18 hours a week, which is paid at
minimum wage. Next, each participant is assigned to an Employment
Specialist; together they create a customized employment and training
plan. Additionally, WorkSearch will fund classes if related to the
job search and compensate for time in class as well. The Program
is short-term (months not years) with the expectation that participants
are actively conducting a job search. The AARP Foundation
WorkSearch Program has the highest placement rate of all Senior
Community Service Employment Programs in the U.S. Staff is
committed to helping those in need find their way back to work.
4People.org
4People.org is a comprehensive online resources, services and programs listings for each county in Washington State. 4People Offender/Ex-Offender Resources excel spreadsheets with contact information can be found at
http://4People.org/Reentry/Reentry.html or under Resources on each county’s website.
Mobile/cell phone access to resource listings can be found at
http://mobile.4People.org.
Use the 4People directory of
Self Help Tools to help people out of poverty, find housing, employment, education and health care.
Contact@4People.org for updates, corrections and comments.
Veterans' Incarcerated Reintegration Project
The
Veteran's Incarcerated Reintegration Project, a joint project with King, Pierce, Thurston and Clark Counties to address the needs of veterans’ incarcerated in County Correctional Facilities, offering alternatives to jail and referral to housing, employment services, and treatment. Many of the veterans have come to the jail due to un-treated drug and alcohol issues, poverty, homelessness, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
For more information on how WorkSource can help Veterans with a conviction history please connect to
http://www.esd.wa.gov/findajob/specialprograms/veterans-services.php
Reentry Myth Busters
The
Reentry Myth Busters is a series of fact sheets intended
to clarify existing federal policies that affect formerly
incarcerated individuals and their families
Washington State Employment Re-Entry Guide
The NEW Washington State Employment Re-Entry Guide -
New Directions is the culmination of the months of hard work by a team of contributors including WorkSource staff, supervisors, Department of Corrections and jail industry partners, and individuals with a conviction history. This is the first revision of the guide since 2006.
Employment and Unemployment Records Request
Completing and sending the
Self-Request for Records form gets employment history and
unemployment payment history from the Records Disclosure Unit of
Employment Security.
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
The
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), authorized by the Small Business
Job Protection Act of 1996 (P. L. 104-188), is a federal tax credit that
encourages employers to hire eight targeted groups of job seekers by
reducing employers’ federal income tax liability by as much as $2,400
per qualified new worker; $750, if working 120 hours or $1,200, if
working 400 hours or more, per qualified summer youth. Employers can
learn which new hires may qualify, find brochures, download IRS and ETA
forms necessary to participate and find instructions at the
U.S.
Department of Labor or call 1.800.669.9271
National H.I.R.E. Network
Established by the Legal Action Center, the
National Helping Individuals with
Criminal Records Re-enter through Employment Network is both a
national clearinghouse for information and an advocate for policy
change. The goal of the National H.I.R.E. Network is to increase the
number and quality of job opportunities available to people with
criminal records by changing public policies, employment practices and
public opinion. The National H.I.R.E. Network also provides training and
technical assistance to agencies working to improve the employment
prospects for people with criminal records.
Transitional Jobs
Meaningful work sets the stage for financial
independence and career growth. Many individuals with barriers to work
remain unemployed despite attempts to work because they have been unable
to find and keep a job on their own. The
National Transitional Jobs
Network programs assist these individuals in gaining permanent jobs.
By working in a subsidized, transitional job for three to twelve months,
they earn a paycheck, learn technical skills for higher wage jobs,
become eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and receive intensive
mentoring and support. This transitional job is the first step toward
permanent employment and economic opportunity.
Helping individuals with disabilities to participate
fully in their communities and become employed by providing
individualized employment services and counseling to people with
disabilities. DVR also provides technical assistance and training to
employers about the employment of people with disabilities.
The Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board (Workforce Board) is a Governor-appointed body representing a partnership of nine voting members from business, labor, and government. Additional non-voting members also participate. The Workforce Board advises the Governor and Legislature on workforce development policy, ensures that the state’s workforce services and programs work together, and evaluates performance.
For help with career planning, see the Workforce
Board's Career Bridge web
site and
Where
Are You Going? career guide.
Oxford House
Oxford Houses of
Washington State is a group of self-run, self-supported recovery
houses that provide an opportunity for every recovering individual to
learn a clean and sober way of life--forever. Oxford House, Inc. is the
501(c)(3) non-profit umbrella organization of the national network of
individual Oxford Houses. Contributions and grants are used to expand
the network of Oxford Houses by providing trained outreach workers to
establish new houses and central service support to existing houses.
For a Directory of Oxford Houses in Washington State updated October
2010, see http://www.oxfordhouse.us/docs/wadir.pdf
Narcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous
is an international, community-based association of recovering drug
addicts with more than 33,500 weekly meetings in over 116 countries
worldwide.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics
Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their
experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their
common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only
requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no
dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own
contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics,
organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy,
neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay
sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Reinstate Your Driver's License
If your driver license is suspended due to unpaid traffic tickets, a DUI or a number of other things, it can be a challenge to navigate the court system to get it back. For the nearly 300,000 Washingtonians with a suspended license, things are about to get a little easier.
The Department of Licensing has a new online service that shows people what they need to do and who they need to contact to get their license back. Users can securely enter their personal information and the system will provide a printable list of the court issues and state requirements needing to be resolved. It also provides contact information for each item. It is available at the
DOL website.
Can I Clear My Criminal Record?
If you have been charged with criminal violations in
the past, the record of those charges may affect your ability to get
work, housing, public benefits, financial aid for education, to drive or
to enjoy other rights or privileges, such as voting. This
Northwest Women's Law Center publication will help you understand
what rights and options you have and what procedures you must use to
clear or limit access to your criminal record by others.
Criminal History/Records: When and How to Seal/Vacate Non-Violent
Class B or C Felony Convictions
This
Northwest Justice Project publication provides information and forms
on how to vacate and seal records concerning certain non-violent Class B
or C felony convictions in Washington State occurring on/after July 1,
1984.
Denial, Revocation and Restriction of Passports
See Code of Federal Regulations; Title 22: Foreign Relations; Part 51
Washington State Patrol Identification and Criminal Histories
Section
Check
Criminal History
Records or call 360.705.5100 for information about criminal record
history maintained by the WSP.
Disqualifying Crimes
Washington State Department of Social & Health
Services has published a list of crimes and negative actions that deny
employment that provides unsupervised access to vulnerable adults,
juveniles and children.
For more detailed information on the DSHS Background
Check Unit and to review the published lists, see http://dshs.wa.gov/bccu/bccucrimeslist.shtml
Washington Law Help
Washington Law
Help assists low-Income people in Washington find solutions to civil
legal problems.
Interest Waiver Guide: A Guide on How to Obtain a Court Order
Waiving or Reducing Interest on Legal Financial Obligations.
Sealing Juvenile Court Records – A guide on how to seal a juvenile
court record.
The Criminal Records Project provides direct legal services to people facing barriers to housing and employment based on criminal records. This project assists people with vacating and sealing convictions under Washington law, and counsels individuals about whether denials of housing and employment comply with existing state and federal law.
This site contains basic information on criminal records issues and the ACLU’s services as well as community education guides, including the ACLU guides to Criminal Records and Employment and Getting and Reading Criminal History Reports. Please use the online intake form for individuals seeking ACLU assistance.
U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s New Criminal Record Guidance
In bi-partisan fashion (by a vote of 4 to 1), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a revised guidance on the application of Title VII to criminal records on April 25, 2012. The new guidance, which supersedes the original version issued in 1987, can be found at
http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/arrest_conviction.cfm.
See the fact sheet at the National Employment Law Project.
Washington State Courts
This site includes a statewide directory of courts,
including addresses and telephone numbers, court rules, forms and
information about assistance with legal research from the state law
library. The Administrative Office of the Courts may also be reached at
360.357.2129. Please note that this office can not offer any legal
advice.
Criminal History Records
Court Records
Glossary
A Citizen’s Guide to Washington Courts
Governing Statutes and Regulations
Obtaining a Certificate of Discharge to restore civil rights
Download the Criminal History and Criminal Records brochure in PDF
format
For More Information
Washington State Bar Association
Check the Washington
Bar Association website or call 206.727.8200 for information on how
to find an attorney in your area (or contact your local county bar
association).
National Institute of Corrections
The National
Institute of Corrections provides federal, state, and local
corrections agencies with training, technical assistance, information
services, and policy/program development assistance.
The Correctional Education Association
The
Correctional Education Association (CEA), founded in 1945, is a
non-profit, professional association serving educators and
administrators who provide services to students in correctional
settings. The CEA is the largest affiliate of the American Correctional
Association.
U.S. Department of Justice
The
Bureau of Justice
Statistics provides key national and state facts and statistics. To learn more please click on
http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov.
Justice Center – The Council of State Governments – Criminal
Justice/Mental Health - Consensus Project
Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential
Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives
The National Reentry Resource Center
Charting the
safe and successful return of prisoners to the community
The Joyce Foundation’s - Transitional Jobs Reentry Demonstration Project
The
Transitional Jobs Reentry Demonstration (TJRD) project was conducted to help fill the gap of reentry knowledge by testing innovative employment programs for former prisoners in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and St. Paul using a rigorous, random-assignment research design. In each city, one employment program is built around transitional jobs (TJ)—temporary, subsidized jobs that provide participants with a source of legitimate income, support services, and work experience as they return to the community.
To link to the full report by MDRC go to
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/570/full.pdf
The Transition from Prison to Community Initiative
The
Transition from Prison to Community Initiative identifies and
promotes adoption of evidence-based best practices that states should
implement in the following stages of the transition process:
- Assessing and classifying new prison inmates
- Developing and implementing transition plans for each inmate
- Releasing offenders from prison
- Providing community supervision and services
- Responding to violations of release conditions
- Discharging successful offenders from supervision
- Providing post-discharge support and aftercare
Office of Justice Programs
Reentry involves the use of programs targeted at
promoting the effective reintegration of offenders back to communities
upon release from prison and jail. Reentry programming, which often
involves a comprehensive case management approach, is intended to assist
offenders in acquiring the life skills needed to succeed in the
community and become law-abiding citizens.
Office of Justice Programs offer a
variety of programs are used to assist offenders in the reentry process,
including prerelease programs, drug rehabilitation and vocational
training, and work programs.
Washington State Coalition for the Homeless
The
Washington State Coalition for the Homeless has taken the lead since
1984 in training, education, and advocacy with and on behalf of
individuals and families who are homeless in Washington State. We are a
501-c-3 organization governed by representatives elected by their county
coalitions and joined in our efforts by service providers, local, state
and federal government agencies, legislators, business leaders, and
individuals who are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has access to
shelter, a basic human need.
Reentry Policy Council
Each year, nearly 650,000 people are released from US
prisons, and over 7 million are released from jails; the vast majority
will be rearrested within 3 years. In its groundbreaking report, the
Re-Entry Policy Council offers
hundreds of consensus-based, bipartisan recommendations for reducing
public spending and increasing public safety by promoting the safe and
successful return of these individuals to the community.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
The National Criminal
Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) is a federally funded resource
offering justice and substance abuse information to support research,
policy, and program development worldwide.
Washington Division of Child Support
The Division
of Child Support provides information for individuals to gain
assistance to resolve child support issues.
Washington Department of Corrections
The Washington
Department of Corrections in collaboration with its criminal justice
partners, victims, citizens, and other stakeholders will enhance
community safety by holding offenders accountable through the
administration of criminal sanctions and effective correctional
programs.
Washington State Jail Industries
Washington State
Jail Industries provides statewide leadership for jails to promote
and mobilize employment focused community reentry programs through
partnerships with labor, business, victims, communities, social service
agencies and government.
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