Word is getting out about fair-chance hiring and its many benefits. Thanks to criminal justice reform measures across the nation, more and more employers are becoming fair-chance employers and are hiring qualified job candidates who were previously involved with our criminal justice system.
The emergence of pretrial diversion programs in Oklahoma County like The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM), Diversion Hub, ReMerge and treatment courts, paired with the passing of legislation like State Questions 780 and 781, have paved the way for low-level offenders to reenter their communities rehabilitated and ready to join the workforce.
To introduce our city’s employers to fair chance hiring, the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council, in partnership with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, released the Fair Chance Hiring Toolkit for Businesses last year. This year CJAC is proud to partner with the Greater OKC Chamber once again to bring employers and diversion program leaders together for the Fair Chance Hiring Workshop and Expo, from 8 a.m. until noon, Wednesday, May 24 at the Champion Convention Center, 803 S. Meridian Ave.
The expo will introduce employers to the fair-chance hiring process and give them the opportunity to hear current fair-chance employers share how hiring diversion program participants has benefited their companies in a variety of ways. Participants also will hear from legal, human resource and tax experts who will identify the many ways employers can benefit from fair-chance hiring including becoming eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.
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