In this episode of More Than Money, Dawn Carpenter draws your attention to a sobering reality: more people are incarcerated per capita in United States than in any other country on Earth. Over 2.3 million are incarcerated and approximately 600,000 of them will transition back into society each year, the biggest challenge being to find a job. In this episode, we delve into this topic with Nancy La Vigne of the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan research institute and a leading authority on justice policy. Later in this episode Dawn introduces listeners to Robert Egger, the legendary social entrepreneur who founded DC Kitchen a generation ago and has gone on to bring his energy and expertise to Los Angeles to found and lead LA Kitchen. Robert shares his passion for finding innovative, supportive, and inspiring ways to ease the transition back into the world of work by giving people another chance to have a productive life. Listen to this episode and be inspired to start the change in your community.
Key Takeaways:
[1:48] Nancy G. La Vigne career briefing.
[2:37] The Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute — what is it? What are its functions?
[4:05] The problem of finding work after incarceration.
[4:58] The stigma of being incarcerated.
[7:05] Background checks and their implications.
[9:50] What does the research say about what employers can do to promote the hiring of returning citizens or not discriminating?
[12:20] Robert Egger, founder and CEO of LA Kitchen and previously DC Kitchen.
[12:40] How LA kitchen started and what is about?
[14:30] How did Robert Egger start in this field?
[16:43] Empower LA Program that helps ex-offenders to find their way back into the community.
[19:15] Healthy and nutritious food made out of donations.
[20:40] Senior poverty.
[22:32] Participants in LA Program.
[23:24] Intergenerational approach.
[25:03] How participants transition into the world of work?
Mentioned in this episode:
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