Jewelry store offers ex-offenders a leg up

NEWARK, N.J. Shoppers perusing the jewelry at a pop-up store in Newark Liberty International Airport’s Terminal B can talk to a sales clerk who also made the baubles, but they might be surprised to learn the employee is wearing a different kind of bracelet — the kind that goes around their ankle and tracks their every move.

The store is part of a program for women recently released from jail or currently in the criminal justice system. They get job skills, some income and, perhaps most important, self-confidence.

It’s the product of a union between a reverend, a film producer and a former governor all committed to easing a transition that can be daunting.

“When you get out of prison, society doesn’t let you out of prison, in a way,” said Francine LeFrak, the film producer. “You have a hard time with every step of the way. People look at you as ‘that person who was in prison.’ But if you’re managing a kiosk at Newark Airport and you’re in contact with other people, you’re feeling that dignity of, ‘I’m worth it and now I can talk to anybody.’ It’s about skill-building.”

LeFrak, daughter of real estate mogul Samuel LeFrak, formed Same Sky in 2008 as a way to help women in Rwanda by selling their handmade jewelry in the U.S.

Her interest in helping America’s burgeoning population of female ex-offenders dates to the 1990s when she executive produced “Prison Stories: Women on the Inside” for HBO.