The synergy of workforce development and public safety

When most people think of public safety, the first words that come to their mind are probably not “workforce development.”

Yet, workforce development and public safety have a hidden nexus that most people overlook, sometimes including Oklahoma’s public policy leaders.

The hidden nexus is simple: fair chance or second chance hiring expands the state’s workforce while simultaneously increasing public safety. How? As justice-involved individuals advance through their diversion and treatment programs, employment plays a critical role in program success which reduces recidivism dramatically. Consequently, reduced recidivism increases public safety as people once engaged in law-breaking are guided out of their past into new life as law-abiding, gainfully employed neighbors. The graduates’ goals are the same as almost everyone: flourishing children, successful jobs, and contributing to a community.

Read the full opinion editorial, here.

.