Inmates get training to help land jobs
Lehigh County Jail’s new program aims to improve their chances upon release
At job interviews, Derrill Lomax struggles to “sell” himself. The soft-spoken 30-yearold aspiring chef from Allentown would rather write down his thoughts than say them aloud.
Manuel Barbosa, on the other hand, doesn’t mind telling his story. But writing a resume is a challenge for the 40-year-old Bethlehem man, who hopes to find a job as a home health aide.
Both men face an additional hurdle to employment — they’re serving time at the Lehigh County Jail for minor crimes. Once they get out, they’ll have to explain their criminal records to potential bosses while acing the rest of their interviews.
“It’s a lot,” said Carol Sommer, assistant director of Corrections. “To succeed on the outside, they need a job, but to get a job they need to be good communicators.”
To help inmates like Lomax and Barbosa, jail officials this month launched a new employment readiness program. The five-week course, offered to inmates within 60 days of their release date, covers topics like goal setting, communication,
positive attitude and work ethic, as well as building a resume.
Lehigh County has offered a similar program at the community corrections center, where inmates serve work release, since 2010, but realized that many people leaving the main jail lack basic job-hunting skills, Sommer said.
“These are folks who are not with us for very long, and we want them to leave us more prepared for success,” she said.
During a recent Tuesday afternoon, about a dozen inmates gathered in a classroom at the jail and pored over their resumes. Case manager Megan Corch guided them through the different sections, urging them to think about their life experiences and list as many skills as possible.
“You want to sell yourself,” Corch told them.
Tina Hartman, another case manager, helped the prisoners answer hard questions, such as why hadn’t they held a job in the last six months? While the answer is because they’re in jail, Hartman said that shouldn’t
“These are folks who are not with us for very long, and we want them to leave us more prepared for success.”
— Carol Sommer, assistant director of Corrections
discourage them from seeking an interview.
“Employment gaps are going to come up. Always be honest, but also be ready to tell your story and explain that you’re ready to do better,” Hartman told the class.
Volunteers from the Indian Association of the Lehigh Valley, which facilitates the jail’s computer literacy classes, help inmates type their resumes at the end of the course. The rest of the class is taught by existing staff, and does not cost the county any additional funds, Sommer said.
Northampton County has a similar job readiness program called LEAP. Participants who complete the training have a 16 percent lower recidivism rate than other inmates, said county spokesperson Becky Bartlett.
FBI statistics show that about 73.5 million people — nearly 30% of the adult U.S. population — have some kind of criminal record. People who’ve been incarcerated are about five times more likely to face unemployment than the general public, according to the nonprofit Prison Policy Initiative.
Reentry initiatives, like Pennsylvania’s one-of-a-kind Clean Slate law which automatically sealed an estimated 3 million criminal records, are helping but it’s still difficult for formerly incarcerated people to find a job, jail staff said.
For inmates like Robert Counterman, the class provides a feeling of accomplishment that he’ll take with him when he heads home in a few weeks.
“I’ve always worked, and I have a lot of experience, but I really needed help with my interviewing skills,” said Counterman, 54, of Allentown. “This class is giving me confidence.”
Morning Call reporter Laurie Mason Schroeder can be reached at 610-820-6506 or lmason@mcall.com