Sustainability Team Preparation and Presentation

  I did research on the topic my group picked - Sustainability of Natural & Built Environment and Sustainable Economic Development

  The plan we came up with was to come up with social change
one of the members of our group was a Felon - and talked about how there was nothing to help prisoners after they get out of jail. They can’t get a job because no one wants to hire them after finding out they've been in prison. So the discussion was how can they get a job when they are truly trying to live in and contribute in a healthy way to society (when they've been rehabilitated & changed after they get out of jail) The need for a program to help them get a job lined up as they are coming out of prison was discussed.

  Holly Merrill (in our group) recorded all the information that we discussed of ways to sustain it...

- Taxes or other possibilities to support it
- Public may think why should we as tax payers pay for their mistakes
- We took down numbers of how many people go back into prison after 5 years and it was thought to be approximately 50%

    After I did some of the research, and when I began writing up solution ideas after reading some of the articles and organizational things on "Sustainability & Social Networking" that our teacher posted; a new idea/possible solution came to my mind.

    I thought of an idea for help with the prisoners similar to the work/jobs that the government created after a war when rebuilding societies. Such as roads, infrastructure, etc. and I thought, why couldn't we create new jobs for prisoners in the community doing jobs similar to those that would help society (& the infrastructure) become better. Possibly help with recycling, and natural resource management...building trails in the mountains and places that would benefit the public. They could be hired by the 'people/government'... and then if they didn't complete the jobs properly or did something to violate their right to the job, like something that showed that they weren't really rehabilitated after leaving prison, then they would lose the job and have to find work on their own.

    I helped with the group discussions and research but was unable to be there to present with the group because I was at our game in California, playing baseball for our Dixie State University Baseball Team.

    Here are some of the research articles & research charts I found, included below;


    "Here's What It's Like For People Trying To Find A Job After They're Released From Prison"

http://www.businessinsider.com/getting-a-job-after-prison-2014-10

    "In the four years since he was released from prison, Richard Cobbs has applied to more than 75 jobs and gone on, by his estimate, at least 10 or 15 interviews.

    On several occasions, work has appeared imminent. Employers tell him the interview was great, but they just need to do a background check — and that's where it seems, at least to him, the goodwill he's earned during the application process goes down the drain."

    "Employment after Prison: A Longitudinal Study of Releasees in Three States"

http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/alfresco/publication-pdfs/411778-Employment-after-Prison-A-Longitudinal-Study-of-Releasees-in-Three-States.PDF

    "Most individuals released from prison held some type of job prior to incarceration and want legal, stable employment upon release. Some criminal justice research suggests that finding and maintaining a legitimate job can reduce former prisoners’ chances of reoffending, and the higher the wage, the less likely it is that individuals will return to crime. However, most former prisoners experience difficulty finding a job after release. "