State studies ways to help ex-inmates find jobs

Roberta Fontes recalls feeling nervous and worried about being released from prison for the second time because “everything changed.”

Fontes, a mother of nine, was addicted to drugs, and her children had wanted nothing to do with her when she went back to prison for six years. In late 2011 she was finally released on furlough and was unsure about what to do or expect.

“It was hard to find a job. … When (inmates) come out into the community, they go out and apply for a job and they see that they have a record, and of course they’re going to hire the person without the record. So that’s what’s been happening, and they end up having a hard time finding a job,” said Fontes.

Figuring out exactly how to help convicts such as Fontes to make that transition from inmate to employee — or even to employer — is the goal of University of Hawaii- West Oahu researchers Orlando Garcia-Santiago and Konstantinos Zougris.

They are studying the feasibility of establishing a training and mentoring program for qualified inmates to be called the Reentry Academy for Training and Entrepreneurial Resources, or RAFTER. The $150,000 state-funded study will identify the kinds of training and mentoring required to succeed in various professions, industries, vocations and trades.

The request for proposals stated some criteria the professors have to meet, including justification that a training and mentorship program would succeed, evidence that participation in this type of program increases post-release employment and decreases recidivism, conditions major stakeholders have in order for them to lend their support, best practices for the program, and a timeline of getting the program up and running.

The report is being prepared for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to help lawmakers evaluate whether a training and mentoring program for qualified prison inmates would succeed.

In 2016 Hawaii had a recidivism rate of about 63 percent, according to a study by the Attorney General’s Office. Garcia-Santiago, who is an associate professor of sociology, said part of the reason for that high rate is that inmates lack the skills to succeed in society.

The plan is to give inmates the tools they need to find “meaningful” employment after they are released and to help reduce recidivism and incarceration, according to an interim report to the Legislature.

“About 80 percent of people are going to come home someday. So how do we want them to come home? That’s the real question,” said Kat Brady, coordinator for Community Alliance on Prisons.

Garcia-Santiago and Zougris, an assistant professor of sociology, interviewed staff and visited programs such as Hope Services Hawaii and Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. in Hawaii as well as programs in San Francisco, Houston and Anchorage, Alaska.

Zougris, co-principal of the study, said about 40 individual employers participated in one-on-one survey questionnaires from different sectors including labor unions, the construction industry, resort industries, UH and community colleges.

Out of the research, Garcia-Santiago said, it became clear most employers are looking for educational and vocational experience. Other qualities employers look for are entry-level skills including a driver’s license, computer skills, a high school diploma, personal hygiene and time management skills.

The final report is expected to be turned in to the Legislature at the end of this month.

Les Estrella, CEO of Going Home Hawaii, said there is a need for “second chances” for convicts, especially with friendly employers.

“If they are wanting to provide any kind of assistance or help or a gateway or a pipeline from prison to employment, I can only see positive results. I don’t think we have enough of that. And for sure, especially with the private sector,” Estrella said.

As for Fontes, she connected with the re-entry program HOPE Services Hawaii, which put her into a mentorship program to help her transition back into society with her children and break old habits. She was provided with a mentor who met with her weekly for a year and helped her set goals, gather skills and find a job, she said.

Fontes has now been out of prison for six years and is helping other female inmates transition back into society. She expects to graduate from the University of Hawaii system later this year with a double bachelor’s degree in sociology and communications. She said her relationship with her children and grandchildren is stronger than ever.