U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner and Deputy Assistant to the President Ja’Ron Smith said the Joseph Project and criminal justice reform legislature like the First Step Act have been instrumental bipartisan measures to help reintegrate former criminals into society.
Photo: Adam Kelnhofer
The roundtable gathering was created to talk with community members and employers about the importance of criminal justice reform and the possible benefits of such reform. The focus of the discussion centered around the Joseph Project.
Johnson spoke about how he felt Kushner was crucial in the development of the First Step Act, which led to the Joseph Project in Wisconsin. Kushner said the same of Johnson.
The Joseph Project is designed to train inmates in Wisconsin for future employment. The project is intended to serve as a transitioning point between life behind bars and life outside of incarceration.
Johnson said there have been 670 graduates of the Joseph Project, roughly 2/3rds of which found a job through the project and 31% of those who found a job are still working for the employer who hired them through the project.
“That’s actually a very high retention rate,” said Johnson.
The topic of incarceration has been a big issue in Wisconsin according to the State Bar of Wisconsin and Gov. Evers, particularly in Milwaukee where the roundtable meeting took place. Many inmates end up being reincarcerated within a short time of being released because they cannot find employment due to their criminal backgrounds.
“We want the federal government and hopefully employers around the country to judge potential applicants based on how they interview, and not immediately disqualify them because they made a mistake at one point in their lives,” said Kushner.
Deputy Assistant to the President Ja’Ron Smith said he had a personal connection to the First Step Act and the Joseph Project because he also had a rough time growing up. However, he said he was able to succeed in life due to the support system of his own family. Smith said he wants to see policies that will help create a network of support systems for people who don’t have that privilege.
“Having a community like this is what it’s going to take in order to create new infrastructure for opportunity for people in the future,” said Howard University graduate Smith. “We have a huge commitment on creating infrastructure and local partnerships with local leaders to help collaborate for opportunity for everyone.”
CEO of Denali Ingredients and Joseph Project Board Member Neal Glaeser also spoke about his experience hiring workers through the Joseph Project and the success he has had with the partnership between Denali and the Joseph Project.
Graduates of the Joseph Project who attended the event thanked Pastor Smith and others involved in the project for giving them the opportunity to change their lives and for giving them a second chance.
“The probation people, I told them at the door,” said Joseph Project graduate John Hapkowsky. “Three months, then if they don’t send me someplace right, I might go back to the streets, and I might not make it back. But these people led me to the project. Pastor Smith, Orlando, they love people.”
However, many of the graduates also spoke about how the project still has room for improvement. Students and graduates of the project said awareness among inmates about the project could improve the number of participants, which was something both Kushner and Johnson wanted to improve. They also said increasing the overall size of the program could help ease pressure on participants to find a job during the week-long program by increasing the amount of time they have to find a job.
“Everybody has a calling on their life, and you can’t just throw away people,” said Regional Director for U.S. Sen. Johnson. Because they’re going to eat one way or the other. And I’d rather see my men and my women coming back and being fathers and husbands and caring about the lives of these children.”